Final Fantasy I: Advent of the Second Light
by Haos Serpent Blade-Azure Fang
Summary: Join the Four Warriors of Light as they quest to save their world. Will they be able to work together as a team or will their difference lead to their failure and repeat the cycle caused by their predecesors?
1. The Story Begins Again

Final Fantasy: Advent of the Second Light

By: Haos Serpent Blade

-Azure Fang-

**A/N: This story and another, soon to be started, story were influenced by the story Normalcy? Extremely Overrated written by The Unknowing Herald. This story will be from an opinionated first person view from one of the four protagonists: Ikari, Alvis, Sabrina and Ezra.**

Characters:

Ikari- A Paladin in training. Contrary to his noble class, he is quite "unrefined" and has many odd... Talents, but he does his best to honor the Code of Paladins when possible. He has decent swordsmanship and magical potential on par with a White Mage. From Pravoka. Starting Class: Holy Squire(White Mage/Warrior). Holder of the Wind Crystal. Special technique: White Wind, Paladin Techs., Cover

Alvis- A mercenary. Quite cocky and holds a roguish charm that makes him popular with the opposite sex. He is slightly perverted. Despite his heavy looking attire and large weapon, he is quite nimble. He uses a greatsword/broadsword and throwing knives in tandem with black magic. From Cornelia. Starting Class: Mercenary(Thief/Mystic Knight). Holder of the Earth Crystal. Special Technique: Spellblade, Mug, Ninjutsu.

Sabrina- An Alchemy Adept. Quiet around anyone, excluding a certain few people. She is the youngest party member and is the most knowledgeable in regards to monsters and items. Her weapons of choice are black magic, the potions she concocts and a gun. From Elfheim. Starting Class: Alchemist Adept(Chemist/Black Mage). Holder of the Water Crystal. Special Technique: Mix, Study, Focus

Ezra- An Elemental Channeler. Hot tempered and unafraid to speak her mind. Fond of Alvis, but not so much Ikari- however, thse two have some of the best coordination together and do get along decently. She uses dances in tandem with swords and daggars with great precision and can manipulate both black and white magic to an extent. From Crescent Lake, but has lived in Pravoka for seven years. Starting Class: Elemental Channeler(Red Mage/Dancer). Special Technique: Dance, Illusion, Runic

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><p><strong>Realm One: Erthys<strong>

**Node One: The Adventure Begins... Again**

_When the balance is tipping, the crystals are called upon to save the world from destruction. Alas, the crystals can only be awakened from their slumber by those chosen to bear the crystals. If the Crystal Bearers fail to awaken the crystals and the world is destroyed, all is reset and new Crystal Bearers are chosen. History will be doomed to repeat itself unless the cycle is broken at the beginning, but is it truly possible to prevent the cycle at its origin? Where the power of Chaos is at its prime?_

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><p>The name's Ikari, Ikari Light. Though, to the guys chasing me it's-<p>

"Ikari, you sunnuva! Stop runnin' an' take yer beatin' like a man," conveniently interrupted the bullish lout leading the group chasing me. I was just about to say that. I guess I'll spare you the introduction until after I get out of this situation.

"Says the one whose afraid to fight me one on one, so he rounds up his posse to do it for him," I shout over my shoulder before ducking into one of Pravoka's main back alleys, one of my personal favorites because of how narrow it was and the fact that it led to the upper portion of the city. I scrambled up the wall, aided by groves formed by a mixture of use and architecture, and reached the rooftops. I looked down just in time to see Ignatius, the bullish lout from earlier, and the six people he called to aid him try to shimmy into the alley I had just gone into and having little luck doing so. Ah, one of the benefits of being "scrawny".

Seeing the group struggle prompted me to leer at them. After all, what was more fun than agitating the people set on beating you to a bloody pulp when they were struggling to catch you? I quickly made my way across several rooftops when I heard a distinct cry of this recognition to my left. Part of me prayed that it wasn't _HER_ of all people, but sometimes the gods love it when you suffer.

"Ikari, you weasel! How dare you peep on me while I was in the washroom," shouted a fiery, white haired woman in a red dress. I gulped and looked at her, thinking about how beautiful she would've been- hell, how beautiful she was now- had she not looked ready to tear off my head. She took a step towards me as I tried to explain how I had incidentally been next to the window while she was bathing, which was true; I may love antagonizing people who did the same to me, but I'm not a pervert in any way, shape or form... Excluding that one day a few years back, which I will not explain lest I want to be castrated by an angry mob.

"Ezra, I promise you, I was not intentionally looking at you nor did I mean to stare. It just happened by accident and will not happen again for as long as I live," I squeaked as I took several steps back. Once again the truth: as a Paladin in training, I am obligated to always tell the truth to increase my honor and esteem along with a ton of other things like not peeping on the girl you've had a crush on since you met her seven years ago and not breaking a vow without a good reason.

"You're right, you won't since I'm going to break every bone in your body," she purred, possibly hissed, viciously before taking another step towards me. I groaned before taking a few more steps back, now at the edge of the building. I then do the expected, jump off the roof and land gracefully... as gracefully as Goblin slipping in the Ice Cave. Thank the gods that the Paladin Code had nothing in it about profanity or I would've just been kicked out for swearing foul enough to make a sailor look like he or she had a clean mouth.

I slowly picked myself up and began to hobble away when I saw Ignatius and company round the corner. Needless to say, I picked up my pace to delay a confrontation I didn't want even if I could take on all seven of them. The odd thing was that I still able elude them in my injured state and thanked my lucky stars until I ran smack dab into Ezra, who still looked like she wanted to brutally maim me- which she did admit to wanting to do.

"Nowhere to run, weasel," she hissed, taking a few steps closer.

"Nowhere to hide," snarled Ignatius as he and his group stalked in behind me. I was completely and totally screwed if I didn't think of something to get me out of this situation and I think I did. I would've laughed at my idea if I wasn't in such a pinch, but sometimes you have to be desperate to experience genius.

"You're both right," I said, sighing in mock defeat as I concentrate mana into my right hand, "I can't run or damn well hide, so I can only do what White Mages do: see the bright side of everything." The eight of the tilted their heads in confusion and I smiled in return before releasing the mana in my hand in a simple spell called Dia.

Fun fact about the Dia chain of spells: Everything, but eyeless beings and light based beings are affected by Dia. Why? The Dia chain of spells are essentially different amounts of concentrated, holy light, emphasis on the 'light' part. Dia spells are the bane of undead beings because of the fact that the undead are typically weak to objects and spells related to the holy and/or light affinity as they are cursed beings of darkness. This combination often kills the undead with ease because it essentially breaks the curse of Undeath, but when applied to humans something much different occurs: a massive amount of disorientation of the eyes due to the amount of light. This was the case with Ezra, Ignatius and the others, allowing me to resume my escape until I ran into the one person I dreaded more than Ezra in this situation: my father, Hikari.

"Ikari... Why must you cause mischief with your gift," he asked, clearly irritated. I quickly explain my situation and notice an amused grin spread across his features. "I see. Unfortunately for you, miss Ezra will be returning home with us to discuss something very important that relates to the future of you both. Also, your mother is back from the lab with a new invention." I felt all of the blood drain from me at his last words with good reasoning: my mother, Ai, was a White Sage, one of very few, as well as a scientist by trade. Her experiments often created items that had positive, but limited effects on the rotting earth and stagnating air or had some sort of other benefit to either people or the world as a whole. The only problem: Father and I were her testers. I gulped and contemplated allowing myself to get beat up by Ignatius and company, but mother would only heal me and still have me test her invention. I shuddered and still do shudder at the memory of the Fire Absorbing Stone that ignited the wearer after ten minutes.

"Any chance to postpone the trial by, I don't know, forever," I asked tiredly only for dad to smirk.

"What's wrong? Afraid of what Ai brought back," he asked teasingly as he picked up Ezra, still blinded by the Dia spell.

"You already know the answer to that, dad," I replied stiffly, ignoring Ignatius's curses and hobbling home, having forgotten I could have healed myself with Cure because of the dread I felt. It took several minutes to reach our destination, the Light family manor, and set down Ezra, who had finally recovered from Dia and was now brooding. Unfortunately, that did not stop her from trying to strangle me when dad left. This only worsened when mom entered the room and caught her in the act.

"Hello, Ikari," she said in a sing song voice, "Are you re- Oh, am I interrupting something? Children these days sure are forward." She smiled mischievously and I glared daggers in response. Ezra blushed in realization of how suggestive our current position was and jumped off me, allowing me to breath and teaching me to appreciate the ability to breathe naturally.

"No, mom," I sighed, partially out of relief, "you weren't-"

"That's good. That means you're free to test the Mana Drops and Nitro Ether with Ezra," mom exclaimed happily, much to my chagrin. Ezra looked confused at this statement and voiced it.

"W-what!? Test out," she sputtered, "I thought I was brought here to discuss the Cr-"

"That's later," mom replied, pushing her bifocals up from the bridge of her nose. I swear for a split second I saw a mad gleam in her emerald eyes, as she started casting Teleport on the three of us- Wait, three? Where was dad?

"Where's da-," I started as Teleport had finished being cast, being cut off by a mixture of feeling like a Beretta was pulling me apart and taste of bile when the spell activated. The sensations only worsened when I felt my body leave the main room of the manor and continued to worsen as my body moved further away from my point of origin. Eventually I lost all feeling in my body, having reached my pain threshold, and nearly fainted, but by that point we had arrived at the testing facility mother had gotten made years ago.

"That was fun," said Ezra. Had I not known that teleportation only felt painful to me from years of being teleported, I would've called her a masochist or at least commented about her having nerve damage.

"Ikari would disagree," mom replied, "he's never been a fan of the spell." I nodded in agreement. Feeling like vicious monster ripped you apart in a gruesome fashion when traveling was not on the top of the list I labeled "Fun". Hell, that was currently the very top of my list titled "Crap I Hate".

"Teleportation spells are very annoying," I grumbled.

"Why so," asked Ezra.

"Long Story. Will not explain," I growled before facing mom, "Can we get this over with? I'd really prefer to get home before I regain the ability to feel anything." Mom looks at me quizzically, but I ignore it and hold out my left hand. She understood the gesture and produced a crimson potion and a blue, ball shaped gel and placed both in my open hand before doing the same for Ezra. Ezra looked hesitant, so I offer her a pat on the back before looking down at the potion. It looked unappealing at best, but more appealing than an Ether, which was a sickly yellow. I gulped before opening the bottle and drinking the red potion as quickly as possible.

Immediately I felt like I did the time mom cast a condensed version of Hastega on me- meaning I felt like I was on an extreme sugar high and could run over water. I smiled like a mad man before darting around the testing area followed by Ezra who was giggling madly. I slowly began to calm down, but instead of being anywhere near out of breath I was fully revitalized and could feel my body. Damn my luck, I mean seriously! I sigh and try the gel based potion, which I immediately regret.

I suddenly became aware of every single, individual particle of mana in the area. The redundant emphasis was intentional, that was how aware I was on the mana. I snap my eyes shut because of the sudden change in my vision, but I can still feel the mana coiling around me and in the air, making it difficult to breathe. I begin to feel dizzy and collapse before I realize what happened.

"Ikari are you alright," exclaimed Ezra, rushing to my side with my mom. "Miss Ai, is he alright?"

"No, I'm not," I choked, the agony from the sensory overload increasing, "my head feels like it's going to fucking explode!"

"Get back Ezra," mom yelled before chanting a spell I hadn't heard before, "Oh cleansing spirit of light, I beseech you to lend me your power and remove the aura blighting this mortal soul. Dispelga!" I felt the mana around me condense, then the sensation vanished and with it my extreme mana perception.

"What was that," I croaked without opening my eyes.

"A Mana Drop," mom replied in a worried tone, "It was supposed to increase your mana reserves and increase your control over it, not expand your mana perception! I thought I tested that out months ago because Hikari and I were unaffected by the more concentrated version that I made when I finally fully developed these... I'm so sorry Ikari." I slowly opened my eyes and saw mom tearing up. I gingerly sat up and hugged her- hugs were the best cure to sadness beside compassion and understanding.

"It's alright, mom. I'll be fine," I reassured before glancing at Ezra. "Sorry for the Dia and the incident earlier. I mean it, Ez."

"I forgive you. I got so caught up in the moment that I didn't think about how you stay true to your word and respect others of the opposite gender more than the other guys our age," she replied, "just don't do it again or I'll make you wish I had broken all of your bones when I had the chance."

"Will do, Captain Nachtrosen," I chuckled lightly, letting go of mom and receiving a hard punch to my shoulder from Ezra. Mom cleared her throat before I can tackle Ezra and ruffle her hair.

"Let's get back to the manor, we still have important matters to discuss," she stated before casting Teleport and returning us to the manor. The return trip was just as painful as the starting trip, but faster and less desensitizing overall. I cringed upon arrival because, unlike last time, I still could feel the whole being ripped apart sensation and I wasn't numb.

"Ai, Ikari, Ezra, you've returned. I take it something happened, judging by your expressions," said dad upon our arrival. I nodded and explained my reaction to the Mana Drop, earning a grimace from him. "That shouldn't have been possible... Maybe it has to do with your inherited mana awareness." I shrugged, not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Can we talk about the Crystals now," asked Ezra, gaining dad's attention.

"Ah, yes," he sighed before growing serious, "Follow me to the dining room, away from open ears." Dad led us away from the main room to the dining room in the center of the manor and gestured for us to take a seat. I take a seat near the wall and waited as mom entered the room with an ornate box. She sat the box near near me and told Ezra to come closer. She did so and mom opened the box, revealing four dull crystals the size of my sword's hilt.

"These are the four Crystals of lore," began mom, her voice heavy and emotionless, "The two of you and two others are the ones chosen to bear the Crystals and return their light, healing the damage to the world caused by an unknown forcein the process."

"This is a heavy burden to bear," stated dad, "If you fail, you doom the world to damnation and death." Any humor I would've had in this situation died at that, with good reason: if I royally screwed up, everyone would suffer and, as a Paladin in training and myself, I could NOT allow that.

"Where do we need to go," I asked, inspecting the Crystals and noticing a slight gleam in the crystal that looked somewhat green. Before I realized what I was doing, I grabbed said crystal and saw a faint glow emanate from it in response. "Besides finding which Crystal is belongs to who?" Dad answered after a moment.

"Go to Cornelia. The King should be able to assist you in your search for the other Warriors of Light," he replied, nearly tempting me to say that not all of us would necessarily be White or Red Mages or aligned with light if we were going to be a versatile team.

"You should set out tomorrow," mom said, "Both of you get some rest, we'll prepare some supplies, Gil and equipment for you." Dad nodded in agreement before leading Ezra to a vacant room and following mom to the family armory. I grabbed my sword and walked out of the manor to the courtyard. I drew my sword and began practicing my form for an hour before moving onto something much more difficult: Paladin Techniques.

"Paladin Tech 30: Aura Burst," I chanted as I gathered mana into my hand then fired it as a sphere of light that burst a moment later. That was the easiest Paladin Technique beside Conversion, which converted energy into mana. From Aura Burst, I moved to Light Blade, which was like casting a damaging version of Dia, called Spark, on my sword and sustaining the spell for as long as it was needed, Shining Spiraling Edge, which was an extension of of Light Blade that fired said spell from the blade in a horizontal wave that spiraled around the user, and Aura Armor, which involved me charging myself with the power of Aura Burst to boost my own defense against physical attacks and damage anything that did. I thought about practicing Paladin Technique Nine, Heavenly Bolt Blade, but was too afraid to; I wasn't supposed to even know about that technique at this point in my training, let alone try it out. At that point, I had finally grown tired and retired to my room for the night.

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><p>I was very tired when morning arrived and I mean <em>very<em> tired. With a groan, I literally rolled out of bed and had to pick myself up before I finally decided to leave my room and head to the washroom. I was halfway there when I saw Ezra. In a towel. While normally I would've commented, but I was practically brain dead and focused on my task at that moment so, I ignored her as we passed by each other. Once in the washroom, I quickly bathed myself and completely woke up. Afterwards I dried myself and put on a simple tunic followed by boxers and trousers, then left the washroom to look for mom, dad and Ezra. That turned out to be easier than expected because the three of them were waiting in the dining room- Well sort of waiting.

"Just try on the dress, Ezra," smiled mom, holding a red dress with golden trim out to Ezra, who seemed adamant on doing the exact opposite.

"Anything, but that," she wailed and took a step back. Seeing me, Ezra lit up and... used me as a human shield. Of course, use the paladin in training as a shield, not- ya know- a distraction. He might have been willing to guard you from his mad scientist mother and the red dress she held, albeit very confused as to why a dress scared you, but still.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this," I whispered to myself before crossing my arms and clearing my throat, "Holy squire Ikari on the job. I'll cover your escape as best I can." Ezra flashed a smile that I tried to return, but she had already fled the room... Gods, she was fast. I turned to mom, who looked at me skeptically, then beamed.

"My boy is protecting his girlfriend," she exclaimed happily before teleporting out of the room. Okay, that was just plain cheating! I fumed at mom's action before taking her words into consideration.

"She's not my girlfrien-," I was interrupted by a shriek and a bright flash of red light from behind the door. Mom's smug laughter followed then more red light... Sometimes the fact that we were related was very questionable and frightening.

I turned to dad, who shrugged before presenting me with a set of armor. It was grey mixed with peach in color. Various runes decorated the gauntlets and greaves, none recognizable by me. The breastplate was stony, held a few scratches, signs of prior usage and possibly age, and connected to flexible silver plating that protected the lower torso region. A pair of belts wrapped around the waist guards, most likely to secure or adjust it if needed. Lastly was the silver circet with a tiny, emerald center piece.

"That's the Rustic Armor, a heirloom and relic of the Order of Paladins," he explained, "When I became a Paladin, I wore this armor and wielded the Rustic Shield and Rustic Sword. Unfortunately, both are undergroing repairs so I cannot bequeath them to you, Ikari. Instead, I shall give you my sword, Light Seeker, and my shield, Minerva's Defender. Use them wisely." Dad produced a round shield made of what looked like silver and was emblasoned with the image of one of the patron goddesses of the Paladins: Minerva, the Just. He then passed me his rapieresque sword with a blade that expanded into a rhombus near the tip. I stood speechless for a moment before thanking my dad- no, Paladin Highlord Hikari in this case- graciously. He brushed it off lightly as mom and Ezra returned to the dining room. Notably, mom was carrying a large bag and Ezra was wearing the dress mom picked for her with red coat that cut off at her midriff and a red hat with a grey plume, beet red for reasons a slightly closer look, I noticed that the dress enhanced her already great beauty.

The dress was more form fitting than the previous dress she wore, bringing more attention to her slim figure and chest area. The left side of the dress lacked a seam to connect the front and back below the waist, showing off her legs, which bore white leggings and red heels. On her arms rested golden bangles that poked out of her coat sleeves and a rectangular gold earring dangled from her left ear, normally hidden by the way she styled her ivory hair which was swept back in a simple, but elegant pony tail. Lastly was the dress's high collar that stopped just short of her chin, forcing her to look up and, in conjunction with her hat and coat, gave her the semblance of a regal witch or hunter- Moreso a hunter because of the sword strapped to her waist and the daggers strapped to her right leg.

I nearly told her that she looked amazing, but stopped myself with much effort. Instead I gave her an approving nod and prepared to don my armor when mom snapped her fingers andautomatically suited me up in the Rustic Armor with a few additions: pauldrons that connected to armlets and increased armor for both of my legs. I thanked her before accepting the bag and pulling out the Green Crystal.

"Both of you are ready, correct," asked father. Ezra and I nodded our answers before he continued. "As we discussed yesterday, head to Cornelia and seek an audience with the king. While normally, you would be sent off by boat or horse, all of the ships are currently away to explore, study and trade with all of the nations with ports and the large bridge that connects us to Cornelia has been destroyed by the Cornelian government or one reason or another. This means you'll have to travel via teleportation to reach the land nearest Cornelia and travel, by foot, from there to Cornelia." I sighed at the last sentence then told both of my parents goodbye before mom cast Teleport on me and Ezra. One pain filled trip, for me at least, later and we ended up in the middle of a green field, one of very few left.

"Ikari, do you know where Cornelia is," asked Ezra, reminding me that she hailed from Crescent Lake. I answered "loosely" before opening the bag and rummaging through it for a map. I find one and pass it to Ezra, who looked at it for a moment before passing it back to me. "Alright, our destination is to the south west." With that, the two of us begin our trek to, as it turned out, nowhere near Cornelia.

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><p><strong>AN: That ends chaper one of Ikari and the other warriors of Light's story. Where will the duo end up? When will Alvis and Sabrina appear? Find out next chapter!**

**Yes, I know Ikari's father's name means light in Japanese. It's a pun and maks the title a bit of a play on words.**

**Also, a little feedback would be kind.**

**-Haos Serpent Blade**


	2. The Knight, The Princess and the Bomb

**A/N: First off, I'd like to say a few things. Firstly, having given a great deal of thought and planning into this story, I realized that it would deviate from the canon of FFI, it is now to be considered an AU story. If this doesn't appeal to you then I apologize, but the only future changes I will make will be updating the story with better quality writing as I grow as an author and adding short bios for any of the important characters or creatures in a chapter. Secondly, this chapter will probably be much longer than I planned it to be. That could be a good or bad thing, seeing how I have rewritten the beginning of this chapter several times and am currently doing so... Anyways, if the chapter is longer than 4-6K(Barring the Author notes, chapter preview or questions and Bios) I exceeded what I wanted to write.**

**Bios:**

King Elvis Ceodore Cornelius- The King of Cornelia. He is a kind and caring man who prefers to be spoken to as if he is the equal of the person addressing him. He has eight daughters, who he tries to instruct in the way of benevolent ruling with mixed results. He is calm, even when under a great deal of pressure or stress, but he may be slowly cracking under pressure from a recent issue regarding his missing daughter, Serah... Class: King(Unique. Geomancer/Lord). Special Ability: Tame, Calm, Command

Lord of the Skies, Stratoavis- A legendary bird said to be the bestial incarnation and messenger of a god... It is massive and vicious, yet emits majesty and awe that can support its given title. An encounter with the Stratoavis is surely a sign of a greater calling... or imminent death. Starting Class: -. Special Ability: Havoc Wing, Sonic Boom, Wind Shear

From the Previous Chapter:

Hikari(Light) Light- The father of Ikari, husband of Ai, and a high ranking paladin. He is considered to be one of the strongest beings alive due to many of his previous exploits. Generally seen as stoic, Hikari rarely shows emotion due to an accident ten years before the story. He appears to be younger than he actually is and has many connections around the world. Class: Dark Slayer(Paladin Highlord/Hades' Arm) Special Ability: Unknown, Paladin Techs(Mastered), Unknown

Ai(Love) Light- The mother of Ikari and wife of Hikari. She is consider to be one of the strongest practitioners of White Magic because of her attainment of the titles White Sage and Cosmos' Emissary, but she prefers to study all forms of magic and science as opposed to acting as a healer. However, this is not to say that she is selfish, rather she uses what she discovers to benefit the world as best she can. When testing inventions on a personal level, she calls upon her two "volunteers," Ikari and Hikari, for various interesting results. She is the one Ikari takes the most after, especially habit wise, idea wise and the presence of a rather dark second persona... Class: Master of Elements(Unique. White Sage/Chemist/Unknown). Special Ability: Mix, Unknown, Unknown

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><p><strong>Node Two: The Knight, The Princess and The Time Bomb<strong>

_The ones chosen to bear the Crystals are not neccessarily the strongest, wisest or most intelligent nor the most moral or honest. They are chosen because of their potential and talents that will enable them to throw a kink in the revival of Chaos. With each repeated Cycle, Chaos grows stronger, having absorbed the power of the previous Cycle's Warriors of Light. This only increases the difficulty of the trial facing the next bearers of the Crystals, should they reach the lost god._

_To counter this, the Crystals bequeath more of their power to their chosen heroes, giving them a greater chance of meeting the lost god. Ultimately, it comes down to the teamwork and resolve of the four chosen in their final encounter with Chaos. Only with the power imparted by their bonds can they hope to succeed in their endeavor. However, Chaos does not wait idly for his opponents to reach him. He watches and manipulates what he can through his medium in the world, bringing trial after trial to those who wish to end the Cycles..._

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><p>"This is all your fault," we shouted simultaneously. Ikari and I were pissed at each other. Why? To make a long story short, we were lost. To elaborate, after Ikari gave me the map we managed to not only not reach Cornelia, but somehow end up near the coast.<p>

"You're the one using the map," yelled Ikari.

"You're the one who knows the landmarks around Cornelia," I retaliated, "You could've told me when you realized we hadn't passed by one!"

"I would've if I hadn't thought you knew how to read a map!"

"I _CAN_ read a map, unlike _SOMEONE_."

"Really? Doesn't look like it." The argument was getting us nowhere, but that didn't stop us from continuing.

"That's because your eyes equate to a ornaments placed on your face," I spat.

"If my eyes are as bad as you say, why'd you ask me about landmarks, princess," he said, his annoying voice practically drowning in sarcasm.

"Maybe I wanted to believe otherwise. Maybe I was starting to think you were far more than an incompetent pervert," I sighed, far past yelling.

"Says the illiterate map reader."

"... You're an ass, Ikari. Dealing with you is like dealing with a spoiled child," I huffed.

"You'd know all about that, princess. Unlike you, I had to work for everything I have. You just showed up out of the blue with a letter requesting that you be given everything," he said icily, before realizing that he was treading on a sensitive topic for me. Sensitive enough for me to snap.

"You don't know anything," I exploded, the fires of indignation and rage rekindled. "You have a family, not a slip of paper to remind you of who you used to have! You didn't have your childhood ripped away from you by a group of men who believed you had a better purpose in life than to follow in your parents' footsteps. The only problem YOU ever had was a father that couldn't emulate the slightest notion of any feeling towards you!" Now it was my turn to trample on a sensitive topic, but I didn't stop when I saw the pained expression on Ikari's face: He had brought out the worst in me, so it was only fair if he suffered for it. "You pretend to get along with him, but you secretly loathe his lack of emotion when it comes to anything you do."

"Shut up," responded Ikari, "You know that isn't true..."

"Really," I asked mockingly, "Then why do act as if I struck a nervem Do you really not hate the lack of empathy he shows you or your mother? He puts up a good act and emulates the facial expressions, but he's missing the key component: the heart. It must be saddening, having such an emotionless parental figure."

"That's a lie... Father does care, despite his condition," he snapped, "All that matters is the thought. Nothing more, nothing less." He seemed to be shaken despite his words. He couldn't lie due to his honor code as a Paladin, but he could twist the truth. Unfortunately for him, he was a terrible twister of the truth, especially so since I had known him for nearly a decade.

"Then why do you always seem upset when you only get a 'good work Ikari' or a 'you tried your best' despite how much effort you put into your training? I never see any genuine joy when he complements you, only anger or melancholy."

"That's not aimed at him," shouted the paladin in training, "I owe more to my father than I do anyone else!"

"Then why do you look so conflicted? Don't lie to yourself Ikari: you know that he cares nothing for you. You can tell that all he wants is for an incompetent brat like you to vanish," I retorted, regretting it almost instantly. Ikari closed the distance between us in an instant, a dark aura emanating from him.

"You talk too much about things you know nothing about. Be silent," he said, his voice cold and distant as he pointed his sword at me. I got a brief glimpse into his eyes, a frigid blue compared to their normal mellow green, and his now slate colored hair. "Be careful what you say about Hikari, you may regret insulting him." He left the rest of his threat unsaid as he sheathed his blade. His eyes returned to their usual green and the aura about him vanished. "Are we clear?" I nodded, having felt something unnatural about the paladin in training. "Good, I'll be going. Ikari's back." What are you-

"Don't try to define me, Ezra," stated Ikari, now back to normal and quite upset, judging by the tears in his eyes and his pained expression. "You obviously don't understand me as much as either of us thought." With that said, Ikari took off further down the coast and vanished from my sight within moments. I stood confused as I tried and failed to make sense of what had just happened, ultimately stopping and hitting myself in the forehead.

"Dammit, why did I even say that," I snapped at myself, "I should've known better, but I couldn't just let him get away with saying that about my life... I'm such a fool." I continued to berate myself, mentally and aloud, for going too far in my anger until I felt a chill. The sun was going down and I had little to no knowledge of the area and no means of sheltering myself because Ikari had taken the bag with all of the supplies in it when he stormed off. I sighed and looked at the map I had been left with before changing direction and heading to what was hopefully Cornelia after realising I had been reading it in reverse.

* * *

><p>I had made it to Cornelia. It had only taken two and a half days of constant walking from the coast- barring the time in which I had collapsed into an exhausted, hungry heap outside of the inn, which added another day and a half to my two and a half days. I had seen no sign of Ikari during my trek nor had I heard anything about an unusual or new Paladin in the area, something that worried me greatly as I stayed in the inn. I may not have liked Ikari, but wouldn't have wished (much) ill will towards him. I sighed glumly at the situation at hand, keeping solely to myself until I felt a hand on my right shoulder. I looked up and saw someone lacking the formal attire of the knights around the city and castle gates and the casual, yet refined clothing worn by the citizens around the kingdom.<p>

Instead, he wore a yellow pea coat with coattails, black pantaloons with silver plate armor up to the knees on both sides, a gauntlet over his right hand and a fingerless glove on his left hand. A large broadsword was strapped across his back by two leather clasps attached to the back of his pea coat and several throwing knives were strapped to his left leg. His face was handsome, minus a puffy pink scar across the bridge of his nose, and held a pair of soft hazel eyes along with cocky half smile. His hair was a messy blonde mane that barely passed his shoulders.

"Are you free little lady," he asked suavely, "You look like you need something to cheer you up." I growled in response, not feeling up to talking to another person, and prepared to leave my seat when he pleaded. "At least give me a chance to talk!"

"What do you want," I hissed as I began to grow irritated by the man's presence. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

"Easy there, little lady. I'm just here to help," he said, taking a seat next to me, "Besides, don't you want an audience with the king?" My eyes narrowed in reaction to his last statement.

"Who are you and what do you want," I growled as I reached for the short sword sheathed on my side.

"Someone with the same interest as you. Your attire gives you away as a traveler and almost every traveler that comes to Cornelia wants an audience with the king for one reason or another."

"I don't see how that makes you important in this process."

"Well, as of late, the king does not accept lone visitors," replied the man, his smile not leaving his face, "He'll only see groups of two or more. Now, if I've done my math correctly, you're one person and I'm one person so..." He left his sentence unfinished to let me gather my thoughts. _This had better not be an elaborate scheme to woo me, I'll wring his neck if it is... Or worse._

"I see what you're implying," I sighed, removing my hand from my unnoticed blade, "I'll go with you, but for my own reasons."

"Heh, I knew you'd understand, little lad-"

"Stop calling me that."

"Give me your name and maybe I will, little missus." _Cheeky bastard..._

"Fine. I'm Ezra Nachtrosen," I said with a scowl. I really didn't want to work with him, but at least he was proactive. "And you are?"

"The name's Alvis, Alvis Rein. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Nachtrosen," he replied with a slight bow. "Now, should we head to the castle or do you want a few moments to prepare yourself?"

"Why would I need to prepare myself? The king may be... a king, but he is still a person nonetheless. How does a title and wealth make him worthy of more respect than a normal person?" Alvis stared at me blankly for a moment before answering, albeit in a surprising manner.

"Tell that to his chancellor. King Elvis is a man for the people and, as such, asks to be treated the same as the rest of Cornelia's citizens, but his chancellor believes otherwise," sighed Alvis, "He only means to help, but his actions often distance the king from the people."

"You know quite a bit about the king, Alvis. Aren't you a traveler as well," I asked, giving the man a quizzical look.

"Nah, I used to be a knight here, a damned good one at that," he laughed, "Then I got bored and resigned from my post to try my hand as a mercenary under contract by the kingdom. Since then, I've been all over the world and learned a few things. Made a bit of Gil as well."

"I see... Alright, let us seek out an audience with the king," I responded, returning Alvis' blank stare. _People are very strange in their preferences._

Without another word, Alvis led me out of the inn and through the pristine city of Cornelia, which, now that I could properly admire it, stood out compared to Pravoka and Crescent Lake. The buildings were made of brick and the streets were paved smoothly. The atmosphere was almost jovial, as if the crisis facing the world meant nothing here, and it almost seemed as if light shone brighter on the city. This would've been a good place to live had I not been tasked with helping save the world.

"Hey, Lady, is that a smile I see on your face," asked Alvis, breaking me out of my thoughts and making me somewhat self conscious. I felt a faint upwards curl on the edges of my lips and quickly changed it to an impassive expression.

"No you do not, your eyes played a trick on you," I said monotonously.

"Whatever you say," replied Alvis, not believing me in the slightest, "Anyhow, we're here."

"I could tell," I responded dryly as I looked at the great stone gate and pair of knights in front of us. "So now what?" One of the knights apparently heard me because he answered my question.

"State your names an' business wit the king," boomed the rather stout knight carrying an equally large battle axe. "Can't allow any unsavory folk int' the castle." The second, much slimmer knight, carrying both a sword and a shield, nodded in agree.

"We're here to seek an audience with King Elvis," answered Alvis, "I am Sir Alvis Rein, former knight of Cornelia, and this is Lady Ezra Nachtrosen." The stout knight scoffed at Alvis before speaking.

"Sir Alvis, eh? The name rings a bell o' two, but, from what I recall, he's a Mage Knight..."

"Mystic Knight," corrected the second knight without looking up. _This must happen often. I wonder if "Alvis" is the first to claim that title..._

"... An' you look more like a simple ruffian tryin' a woo a lady." I chuckled softly at that. Alvis certainly looked nothing like what he claimed to be and he didn't give off a "knightly" impression in the slightest. Unless you counted his weapon. Most knights carried extremely large weapons or a small aresenal. Anywho, how was he going to prove that he really was a former knight for the kingdom. _This will be interesting to watch..._

"If you would like a demonstration of my skills, I'll gladly show them to you Sir Perimedes," answered Alvis, a cocky grin spreading across his face as the stout knight reeled back in surprise, most likely because he had yet to introduce himself. "I'll validate my statement as long as you don't regret challenging it." That was a challenge, a thinly veiled one at that, but Sir Perimedes didn't seem to care.

"A'right, les see whatcha can do laddie... o' should I call ya 'Alvis'," responded the knight, hefting his battle axe onto his shoulder with a single hand. The slimmer, more diplomatic knight attempted to suggest otherwise, but Perimedes ignored him. Alvis unstrapped his sword from his back using one hand and, in a similar fashion to Perimedes, hefted his weapon onto his shoulder before turning to me.

"Does the lovely lady have anything to tell me," he asked, his grin still present.

"Don't die," I replied in a way that made his smile falter for a second. He then shrugged and turned to face Perimedes.

"Are ya ready, lad," asked the stout knight, confidence evident in his tone, "I'll show ya the strength of a real knight." Alvis shrugged in response and moved his left foot forward before gesturing for Perimedes to come to him with his free hand. Perimedes obliged.

The stout knight charged at the slimmer man, releasing a loud battle cry, and swung his battle axe at him in a wild arc. Alvis dodged to the side with little trouble and ducked under the following swing fluidly. Perimedes took another, horizontal, swing at Alvis, but was evaded for a third time.

"Stop movin', shouted Perimedes, clearly frustrated by Alvis' speed.

"Whatever you say," he replied cheekily before bringing his sword to his side and running around Perimedes. He quickly flipped his sword into a reverse grip and sprinted towards Perimedes' exposed back, then jumped above the stout knight and struck him with the flat of his blade. Perimedes lost his balance from the heavy blow, giving Alvis the chance to rush him and deliver several fast and powerful blows with his armored hand, having swiftly switched exchanged his weapon between both hands, before kicking the knight over and swinging his unarmored hand downward, calling down a small bolt of lightning on the fallen Perimedes, shocking the already staggered man. Continuing, Alvis ignited his broadsword with a slide of his free hand and slammed it onto the ground, generating a small fiery explosion that knocked out the stunned Perimedes, before spinning the weapon several times and sheathing it.

_He's a showoff, but his skill and proficiency with his weapon and that strange form of magic he used is rather great._

"Color me impressed," said the slim knight, "Perimedes didn't stand a chance against you and he was one of our kingdom's elite knights. I guess you are the Sir Alvis. Go on ahead, I'll tell Perimedes what happened when he awakens, but, knowing him, that may take hours." The slim knight chuckled sheepishly before knocking on the gate several times. A moment later the gate opened revealing the beautiful courtyard of castle Cornelia. I could have taken in the sight of the flora in front of me for hours, but Alvis called me out of my daze.

"Come on, we don't want to keep Elvis waiting," he said, pulling me through the courtyard and into the castle. A knight stationed inside castle asked if we wanted directions, but Alvis shook his head and pulled me through the castle until we reached a room with a long red carpet. In the room sat several girls and young women in dresses with various adornments and a man, who looked to be no older than thirty, wearing a crown and several other fancy, ornate articles of clothing. Said man had a bemused expression on his face as Alvis and I entered the room.

"So you're the ones who defeated Sir Perimedes," said the man as he looked over the two of us, a smile forming on his face once he recognized my companion. "It's been awhile Alvis. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing Cornelia's former greatest knight? Is it about a raise in pay for your contracts? If so, I've already prepared one." To this day, I believe I saw Alvis' eyes light up when King Elvis mentioned increasing his pay.

"We can discuss that later my liege," Alvis replied in a hushed, businesslike tone. "I'm here because I've heard a few rumors about Princess Serah going missing. I'd like to see if those rumors are true or not." The king frowned, gaining a few deep wrinkles that could have only been from stress.

"Yes, the rumors are true," sighed the king, "A few weeks ago, Serah was kidnapped by a former knight who occupied your position as Cornelia's strongest, Garland." Alvis' eyes narrowed.

"Then why didn't you send me a message telling me this," growled Alvis, genuinely angry with the king, "I would've finished up my job overseas and immediately returned to Cornelia!"

"Alvis... I do not recall you having such a scar across your face when I contracted you to quell a group of pirates scourging Melmond," replied King Elvis, his voice calm. Alvis stiffened, but gave no explanation to the King, who continued without hurry. "I'd imagine you received it from a surprise attack you detected- Rather one that your men walked into and required your assistance escaping." Alvis prepared to counter, but the king silenced him with a simple glance. "If I had sent you a message telling you about Serah's plight, you would've rushed the task and, as a consequence, may have returned with worse than a scar... or not at all." The king stared into Alvis' eyes for several moments before continuing. "And as much as I care for all of my daughters, losing a dear friend, one whom I consider to be a brother of sorts, would be just as bad as letting harm come to one of them." Alvis and I stood in silence. Elvis cared deeply for both his friends and family, but did not let his feelings get in the way of ruling Cornelia. It was then that I spoke.

"Did Garland have any reason for abducting Serah? Any motive that may have come into play recently," I questioned. The king shook his head, so I asked another, more important question. "Have you sent anyone after the princess and her abductor?" King Elvis prepared to answer, but one of his elder daughters answered in his stead.

"Of course he has! Father immediately took action upon learning of that traitor's actions," she yelled while her sisters nodded on. "Day after day, we've seen warriors pledge to save Serah, but none ever return!"

"I see," responded Alvis emotionlessly, his eyes had become cloudy.

"What if we go after Garland and the princess," I volunteered, "I believe Alvis and I have a much better chance than the standard group of warriors." Alvis looked surprised for a moment, but a kurt, approving nod was enough to tell me that he agreed with me. The princess, however, balked at me.

"You,"she asked incredulously, "I can understand Sir Alvis, but you? You look as if you've never seen battle!" _Little bitch..._ I ground my teeth and gave my coldest glare.

"Says the sheltered brat," I said aloofly, inciting a furious response from the princess.

"H-how dare you," she sputtered before trying to pounce on me. Fortunately(For her), the king stopped her.

"Fran," he chided, "You must control your temper in front of visitors. You must also stop judging people based on their appearance, it is both rude and implies that you do not make in depth assessments." He then looked at me. "I apologize for Fran's outburst, she is quite upset by Serah's predicament, as are the rest of her sisters." Princess Fran tried to protest, but a sharp look from her father stilled her tongue.

"I understand," I reply, "I understand the pain of losing someone dear..." I lowered my head in remembrance of my parents. Alvis and King Elvis noticed this, but made no remarks about it, which didn't bother me. The less anyone pried, the easier it was on my heart.

"I see... Well then, if you truly wish to go after Garland, you must go to the Chaos Shrine," said the king after a long silence, "It is a decrepit temple lying in the northeast portion of the continent. Scouts sent after Garland reported that this is where he has taken residence and I have since asked everyone that has tried to save the princess to go there."

"Elvis, is there any other place Garland could have escaped to," asked Alvis, "I remember a rumor or two about a witch living in a cave near the kingdom. Is there any-"

"No, the woman you speak of, Matoya, is a former archmage of the kingdom and will seldom interact with anyone that does not pique her interest. The chance of Garland meeting with her is quite slim, especially since she still maintains a good reputation the kingdom and wishes to keep that relationship up."

"Are you certain?"

"Very much so," answered King Elvis, tiredly. "Now, please... Please save Serah." Alvis and I nodded and left the throne room, then the castle.

"So, why didn't you mention your business," asked the mercenary after we had gotten a fair distance from the castle. "I'm sure that you didn't seek an audience with the king just to ask about the princess' situation."

"My business is of somewhat irrelevant at this moment," I replied without looking up, "Unless I find a specific someone, I cannot complete my business. Let us leave things at that." Alvis shrugged.

"Just don't let it get you killed. It would be a damnable shame to see one as beautiful and independent as you die." I felt a slight reddening in my cheeks, but ignored it as we got closer to the town's exit.

Then the unthinkable happened.

"Look out, Ez,"cried a familiar voice before I was knocked to the ground by the owner of said voice. Alvis chuckled despite the glare I gave him before I turned my attention to the one who knocked me over.

"Damn it, Ikari! Watch where you're go-" I yelled before I realized that standing before me and Alvis was Ikari Light. The same overly cheerful, caramel haired, smartass that had stormed off after our argument. I felt a mixture of relief, joy, bitterness, confusion and self-anger and because of that I remained silent for a few moments before I finally regained the ability to speak. "I-Ikari? You're safe? Thank goodness!" Without thinking, I hugged the Holy Squire.

"Ez... I can't breathe," coughed Ikari and I realized that I had given him a crushing hug rather than a- Wait, why had I hugged him to begin with and why was he so cheerful? _I'm sure he was past enraged when we last saw each other._

"So the lady can show more than a faint smile or two," commented Alvis, his sly grin having returned. "This must be the 'specific someone' you mentioned-" Alvis suddenly paused as if something important had just registered to him. "Don't tell me... He's your boyfrien-"

"She's not my girlfriend," exclaimed Ikari, interrupting Alvis, who sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness," he whispered a bit too loudly, then addressed Ikari. "I'm Alvis Rein, an acquaintance of miss Ezra. And you are?"

"Ikari Light," responded Ikari before he gestured to a person behind him that I had barely noticed. "And this is Sabrina Serena Ashlyni Mercuria. I met her after a Sand Worm and a band of Goblins tried to attack her." Sabrina only nodded in response. I could barely make out any facial features beside curly cobalt hair and large rosy eyes because of the hooded cerulean cloak she wore. For some reason, it caused shadows to bend and contort to cover the majority of her face.

"She's certainly shy," noted the mercenary, "It's a pleasure on meet you both, now shall we go?"

"Go? We're going somewhere," asked Ikari.

"Well, you see," began Alvis...

One long explanation later, Ikari and Sabrina were up to date on the situation regarding the princess and our destination.

"I see... I'll help you out," said Ikari, a determined expression having formed on his face. "I've always thought about saving a princess." For some reason Sabrina looked down when Ikari said that. He seemed to notice and quickly added to his statement. "It's one of the things I'm obligated to do as a Paladin in training... Sis'd kill me if I didn't try to save a princess if a chance came." He shuddered before clearing his throat... _Sis? He has a sister? One that scares him at that? I guess knowing a person for seven years doesn't mean you know everything about them..._ I felt bitter again, having dredged up memories of my argument with Ikari. I tried to define his relationship with his father despite knowing only so much about it... Really understanding nothing at all. Worse was the fact that I had ignored how much he looks up to Hikari just like I had looked up to my fathe-

"...Ez... Ez... Ezra?" I was jolted from my thoughts by Ikari's calling. I looked up and saw he had a worried look on his face. "You alright? We're about to go, but we can delay our departure if you need a moment to... finish gathering your thoughts." I shook my head in response. It would've been pointless to waste time to lament on the past. The thing was Ikari. He never allowed himself to stagnate... Never let anything get to him for a long period of time. Some part of me hated that about him and that disgusted me. I could accept that we had incompatible personalities(My seriousness and general aloofness compared to his easy and outgoing nature.), but not my unjustified hatred for that aspect of hi-

"Are you sure you don't need a moment or two to gather your thoughts, Ez?" I looked up again and saw Alvis and Ikari watching me with somewhat worried expressions. I shook my head once more then proceeded to walk towards Cornelia's entrance, unaware of the odd look Ikari was giving me.

* * *

><p>I watched Ezra walk out of Cornelia in a somber fashion, which confused me. Was she still upset about what I had said to her in my anger a few days ago? I hoped not, stuff like that had a roundabout way of coming back on me at the worst times.<p>

I studied Ezra for a moment before following her and Alvis, with Sabrina trailing a little ways behind me. _I really hope I didn't offend her... I can't tell because of how quiet she is right now, which makes reading her mood a bit more difficult than others._ I grumbled to myself about filtering what I said around others before holding out my hand to Sabrina.

"C'mon, let's catch up to those two," I said with a light smile. The strange girl stared at me for a moment before nodding ever so slightly and taking my hand. I found a bashful grin forming on my face and, with Sabrina, picked up my pace. It took a minute or two, but we caught up with Alvis and Ezra, both of whom were discussing the best way to reach the Chaos Shrine... Ugh, that name left a bad taste in my mouth. Mind. Narrative Space. It doesn't matter what you call it, the Chaos Shrine's name just left this disgusting feeling like an ominous or sinister premonition of something to come. I would soon learn that I had been right about the vibe I felt just by mentioning the place.

Night fell rather quickly, far faster than anyone expected. Personally, I was content with how quickly the sun went down because I could rest earlier, but I understood that it also meant less ground could be covered today.

"Everyone, prepare to set up camp," ordered Alvis, "We'll eat, then split up the nightly vigil between ourselves." Without another word, Alvis began looking around the hilly plains within a close distance of the group while I rifled through the bag my parents had prepared. It took a bit of time, but I finally pulled out a cylindrical object with a spell that housed a fully prepared and operational tent, a rather useful import from Elfheim. I wasted no time setting up the tent, clearing the ground of any stray rocks and sticks then placing the cylinder in the center of the cleared space, which glowed briefly before a large tent materialized in the area.

"The tent is set," I chirped just as Sabrina used her Fire magic to ignite some of the wood Alvis had been gathering. Normally, seeing Black Magic would've mystified me to an extent, but, after nearly having my face catch on fire and having been ignited on several occasions by some of my mother's inventions, I was closer to being impassive as I took a seat near the burning wood. Sabrina acknowledged my presence with a slight nod before taking a seat near me. Several minutes later Alvis arrived with more firewood and Ezra returned with a hare that was quickly skinned and sat over the fire to roast.

"So, who wants to take the first watch," asked Alvis with a yawn, "It doesn't matter which order we go in, so long as each of us is vigilant during our watch." I nodded and prepared to volunteer, but I was beat to the punch.

"... ... wat... ch," said Sabrina so quietly that I could barely make out one word she said. Alvis looked puzzled, having expected either himself or me to handle the first shift and having barely heard Sabrina in the first place.

"Are you sure," I asked calmly. She nodded in response and drew a pistol with two vertical barrels, the top barrel longer than the bottom barrel, made of a bronze colored metal and sat it on her lap. _She's a Gun Mage... Well isn't that a surprise. I thought only Elves could become Gun Mages_. I drifted into my thoughts about Gun Mages, barely keeping up with the conversation around me, until someone nudged my shoulder. I looked down and felt Sabrina lightly push me again before pointing to Alvis.

"I was asking what made you leave your home and go to Cornelia," he said with a slight grin. I sighed in response, while Ezra looked at me uncomfortably.

"That's a... personal matter," I said, yet asked sheepishly. Ezra sighed in annoyance and shook her head, while Alvis shrugged and Sabrina stared at me.

"Eh, didn't mean to pry too much," responded the mercenary, "Just wanted to get to know the people I'm traveling with a little better."

"That makes sense," I replied with a nervous chuckle, "I could tell you a little about myself..." For the next few minutes, I recounted some of my misadventures as a child who grew up in Pravoka. Alvis got a real laugh out of a few of my antics when I was younger and Sabrina smiled with her eyes while Ezra put a hand to her forehead and slowly shook her head at me.

"So, you managed to get cornered by the lady..." Ezra cringed. " ...and the group of kids who wanted your cake. What happened next," asked Alvis with stars in his eyes. Yes, stars. He was that interested in the story.

"They- "

"We knocked his cake to the ground by accident," said Ezra before shuddering and mumbling to herself. "Worst mistake of my life..."

"Why's that," asked Alvis. I faltered and smiled sheepishly again. This part was a bit hard to explain, mainly because I had blacked out the moment my cake hit the ground... _Wait! Ezra had been there, so she knew what happened!_ Ezra must've known what I was thinking because she forcefully applied her palm to her forehead and grumbled something before speaking.

"Ikari got angry and started an all out brawl," she said emotionlessly, "He won in less time than it took for the adults to arrive. I was sore all over for two weeks because he threw a barrel of fish at me and Ignatius." _So that's what happened... I threw a barrel? When I was thirteen and more of twig than I am now? Well that does explain mother's stern reprimanding and father's more intense training sessions for me after that day... Still, a barrel... with fish no less..._

"I don't know what's more interesting," said Alvis, "The fact that Ikari could throw a barrel six years ago or the fact that he doesn't remember it." I scratched the back of my head.

"Mother did always say I was a strong child," I chuckled, "Though, I'm kind of surprised myself."

"You mention your family a lot,"said Alvis, changing the subject.

"Yeah, my family is really important to me," I said with a melancholy smile,remembering a little ofwhat Ezra said before I hit a memory blank. "What about you? What was your childhood like?" Alvis narrowed his eyes at me and smiled slyly.

"I don't have much to talk about really," he replied, trying to avoid the subject. I, however, didn't want to let the subject drop because, having shared the good highlights of my youth with him, I wanted to know a bit about him.

"It couldn't be that bad, but, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't delve any further," I said, trying to respect the former knight's privacy.

"I think it would be interesting to hear," said Ezra, "It'll help us get to know you better, more understanding and lenient."

"Whatever you say," shrugged Alvis before clearing his throat. "Years ago, there was a child born as the son of a woman exiled from Cornelia. He lived with his father, a former knight of Cornelia, until he staged a coup d'etat against the previous king, Illias. For two months a battle raged across Cornelia, then the Highlord of Ruin appeared." I gagged on the air. _Wasn't that-_

"In less than five hours, the Highlord of Ruin quelled the rebellion and captured every insurgent involved in it, his father included," Alvis continued, ignoring my reaction. "King Illias, being a benevolent king, gave all of the insurgents a chance to redeem themselves by having them rebuild the ruined portions of the kingdom without complaint or monetary compensation. All of the insurgents agreed to Illias' terms, but, upon being loosed from their chains, one of the insurgents rushed the king and attempted to take his life with a hidden dagger. Fortunately for King Illias, the insurgent was quickly dispatched by a vigilant knight.

"Unfortunately, his son was left with no family and many of the citizens wanted to see him hanged for being related to the man who wanted to harm the king. Fortunately for the boy, now in his early teens, the king felt sympathy for him and took him in. The rest is boring, so I'll stop there." Alvis sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before looking at Ezra and Sabrina. "What about you? Anything you want to share? If not, let's eat and rest for the night." I nodded in response, as did Ezra and Sabrina. The four of us divided the hare, with me and Sabrina getting the smallest portions because meat wasn't our favorite thing to eat and because we just weren't that hungry. I stretched before walking to the tent, only to be stopped by Ezra, who pulled me off to the side.

"Weren't you being a little too defensive around Alvis?"

"No," I answered, "He was prying into sensitive matters. Its the same reason you didn't tell him about the crystals and you being a Warrior of Light."

"Just how do you know that?"

"I'm dense, not stupid. You didn't want him to know unless it was really necessary, the same reason I haven't told Sabrina."

"From the way she was clinging to you and the shine in her eyes, I couldn't tell," retorted Ezra.

"She wasn't clinging."

"She was, don't argue with me. Anyways, there's more to your reason for not telling Alvis about yourself. You don't entirely trust him."

"And he doesn't trust me, so its mutual. For all I know he made up that story of his."

"Just like you might've made up the story about you saving 'Sabrina' from a Sand Worm, which isn't native to this part of the world."

"Hey, hey. I was surprised myself," I countered, "The damned thing tried- No, SUCCEEDED in eating me, then spat me into a rock! Gods, that hurt!"

"My point is, try to be more open," said Ezra in a level voice, "he may be one of the two we're looking for."

"I will, but... I'd rather not discuss my family with a complete stranger," I sighed.

"He told you about his."

"His father isn't cursed to not feel anything and- Never mind," I said, catching myself before I said something that would've brought up bad memories for Ezra.

"What were you about to say."

"Nothing important."

"I wasn't asking. Talk."

"Sorry, but that's something for a later, less volatile day." With that, I turned away from Ezra, walked into the tent and went to sleep almost immediately, paying no heed to Alvis.

* * *

><p>"I..." I felt a slight nudge on my shoulder, but ignored it. Another, harder nudge, came, but I barely stirred. "Ik..i."<p>

"Another... minte," I garbled before I felt a slight jolt throughout my body. I snapped awake and accidentally slammed my head into the head of someone above me. I cursed lightly and floundered in the dark for a moment before casting a weakened version of Dia to illuminate the tent. I recognized the sleeping figure of Ezra, who looked so sweet as she dreamt, and Alvis, who had managed to loop one of his arms around Ezra's sleeping form. That'll end well... Without a doubt.

I continued to look around tent tent until I saw Sabrina rubbing her forehead, despite fact I couldn't actually see her forehead because of the black haze that covered the majority of her face. I prepared to ask her if it was my turn to take watch, but she silenced me by putting her hand over my mouth.

"There's a pack of wolves outside," she whispered urgently. I nodded and slowly made my way to the tent's entrance, gathering mana as I did so. I gingerly poked my head out of the entrance and met the gaze of a large wolf. _Okay, Ikari. Don't use your trump card yet. Try to get it to back off._ I took a deep breath and gave my most venomous glare to the wolf, which continued to stare at me almost reprimandingly.

I slowly rose, keeping my eyes locked on the wolf and intensifying my glare until the wolf backed away from the tent and into the shadows where at least twelve pairs of glowing eyes rested. I sighed out of annoyance then yawned before I brought my hands forward.

"Please..." The wolves narrowed their eyes. "Go..." They tensed up and snarled, a furious gleam visible in the amber orbs that seemingly floated in the darkness. "AWAY!" The wolves sprang forward as my voice echoed with the authority of a greater beast and I released the mana I had gathered in a brilliant, multicolored flare of damaging light. I was met with several yelps of surprise and pain as the wolves ran head first into the light, then turned tail and ran.

"...Much better," I said with satisfaction.

"They'll be back," said Sabrina, surprising me with her sudden comment and the fact that she was no longer acting like a near mute. "Probably within the hour."

"And I'll be ready. Can't let anyone get mauled or maimed if I can prevent it," I replied calmly as I sat down in front of the tent, "My pride won't allow it... nor will a certain somebody with a greater deal of authority and power than I."

"And I'll make sure you remain in one piece. I am honor bound to that," she said, sitting down near me. Thanks to what Ezra said, I paid more attention to how close Sabrina was to me and found that she was a bit closer to me than I would've wanted. However, she wasn't overly close to me so, I blew it off as an idiosyncratic custom from wherever she was from.

"I'll take your word for it... Rina," I answered after a minute of thinking up a nickname for Sabrina.

"...Rina?"

"Yeah, I need a nickname for everyone for convenience. It may sound lazy, but it helps me out and makes it easier to remember people."

"...Which is why Ezra is Ez and Alvis will probably be Al or something similar. If that's the case... m-may I call y-you... Kai?"

"Why not? Ocean is better than anchor," I shrugged, somewhat confused by Sabrina's shift from calm to timid. I received no response from Sabrina so I turned and saw that she was out cold. "Liar." I chuckled lightly and trussed Sabrina's hood before propping her against my shoulder.

An hour or so and no wolves later, a ray of light peeked over the horizon of the rapidly lightening sky, which made me realize something rather important: Sabrina had stayed up for the majority of the night without sleep to watch over the camp. Part of me wanted to reprimand the mysterious girl for doing something so reckless(Even I knew you weren't supposed stay up for a day or more and willingly deny yourself sleep. It was detrimental for your awareness and made you ill prepared for the coming day or days) or commend her for her bravery and perseverance. I continued thinking over my course of action until I heard something that had me rolling on the ground laughing.

"Huh...? What the hell are you doing you!? Haken!" That was definitely Ezra and...

"Muny-Agh!?" Alvis. _It sounded like she used her infamous left cross on him and-_ I was hit in mid thought by an airborne and thankfully unarmored Alvis, completing my thought in a somewhat painful fashion. I was the first respond to the situation, after shaking off the mercenary and my daze.

"Morning sunshine. The weather today is cloudy with a chance of falling objects," I joked.

"... Surprisingly accurate prediction," groaned Alvis, rubbing his jaw, "Anything else?"

"Well, Sabrina did everyone's watch, wolves attacked and Ezra will probably want to wring your neck," I answered a bit too cheerfully.

"Then today will be very long... Or very short if the lady succeeds," he responded as he stretched his arms and legs. "What was that about wolves attacking?" I explained the appearance of the wolves, omitting the part about Sabrina telling me that there were wolves, how one had nearly entered the tent and how I repelled all of them using an overcharged version of Spark. I then had to explain why I hadn't woken up the others after the fact and why Sabrina and I were outside rather than in the tent. Alvis took the information well, but asked for clarification for a few things.

"That sums the night up," I said with a small yawn. I prepared to look for a place to change out of my armor when Alvis grabbed my shoulder. He put on a false smile.

"Why don't we go for a quick stroll? You know, to wake up a little and give the ladies time to get ready for today," he asked with sickly sweetness.

"Sure, why not," I responded with an equal amount of sickly sweetness. With that said, the two of us walked a fair distance away from the campsite before stopping.

"So, you know why I called you out here" Alvis asked.

"To... confess your fe-" I began before ducking under a hooking kick from the mercenary.

"Please be serious, this issue is very important," he responded as he entered a neutral position.

"Fine," I sighed before growing serious myself, "You want to know more about my reasons for going on a journey and my motives for helping you despite only knowing Ezra."

"Close. I wanted to know is Ezra was tak-" it was Alvis' turn to avoid an attack, specifically a chop from my armored hand. "Hey, just returning the favor!"

"Same here," I replied before taking a seat on the grassy stretch of land. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Why a traveler such as yourself has this," answered Alvis, pulling a crystal out of his back pocket. My wind crystal to be exact. My eyes hardened instantly and, with near inhuman speed, I got up and closed the distance between myself and Alvis, Light Seeker drawn and trained on the mercenary.

"Explain how and when you got that off of my person," I snarled when I felt the mana around me go into a frenzy. I immediately jumped back, narrowly avoiding a bolt of electricity called down by Alvis. I quickly rolled to my right, then forward, avoiding an explosive fireball and a large rock that suddenly jutted out of the ground. To say the least, I was confused. Normal magic did not cause all of the mana in the area to go crazy, not even tier four black magic, which could utterly decimate areas even when weakened considerably. Alvis must've noticed my confusion because he capitalized on it and hit me with a pressurized burst of water that knocked me to my feet.

"Relax, Ikari, I'm just trying to see if this is what I think it is," said Alvis, glancing at the wind crystal.

"And if it is," asked a voice I hadn't expected and neither had Alvis. He turned around just in time to be struck dead on by a compressed blast of air, one that caused the crystal in his hand to light up briefly, fired by Sabrina. The normally quiet girl rushed to my side and prepared to help me up when another unexpected voice was heard.

"Haken," shouted Ezra as she launched her infamous left cross at Sabrina. Unfortunately for her, Sabrina avoided the punch and forced her back with a quick casting of Fire. The two glared daggers at each other and prepared to attack each other when I finally registered what was happening and fired an Aura Burst in between them.

"Let's calm down and talk this out," I said sternly, just as Alvis got up. He groaned, but agreed with me.

"Yeah, what he said. We can't be trying to kill each other, at least not before we save Princess Serah," he commented. I nodded and he sat down across from me. Ezra and Sabrina glared at each other for a moment longer, but finally sat down. Alvis used the peace to continue from earlier. He drew the wind crystal as well as the earth, fire and water crystals, all four of which seeming to gleam to me. Ezra gasped in surprise and turned to me for answers, but I directed her back to Alvis. She glowered at the mercenary, but said nothing. It was Sabrina who broke the silence.

"So I did sense the power of the four," she said, "It seems that you're more interesting than I thought, Kai." It took me several minutes to register who I was looking at and what she had just said. I slowly nodded before I responded.

"A-as are you," I stammered. Sabrina only smiled in response. It was then that Alvis spoke.

"Well, I'll be, didn't think you would talk Sabrina," chuckled Alvis, one of his actual grins forming, "And to think that I'd encounter a bearer of the four crystals. it seems like you have some interesting things about you Ikari."

"Indeed," said Ezra as she narrowed her eyes at me and Sabrina. She then returned her attention to Alvis. "How did you acquire the four crystals?" Alvis chuckled nervously before he gave her an answer, knowing that she wasn't in the best of moods.

"It's a funny story. You see I was preparing to go to sleep when Ikari entered the tent and I heard an odd voice call out to me," he said as he scratched the back of his head. "At first I thought Ikari was messing with me, but, when he fell asleep and the voice continued to call out to me, I decided to look for its source. I checked that bag, expecting to find some Whisper Weed or Echo Herbs left improperly stored, but instead I found an ornate box that seemed to be glowing from the inside out. I opened the box and found three crystals, one of which was glowing faintly." Alvis picked up the earth crystal and I saw a small spark of light emanate from the crystal on contact with his hand.

"So, you rummaged through our supplies when no one was paying attention and happened to find the crystals, bar the wind crystal which was on Ikari's person," Ezra said icily, crossing her arms. It looked like she was about to do something, but she only sighed. "How did you manage to get Ikari's crystal without him noticing?" I was wondering that too. The only times he would've been able to take the wind crystal would have been directly after he found the other crystals or when-

"You knocked me out of the tent and I landed on Ikari," Alvis answered. Of freaking course. "The crystal rolled away from him and I just happened see it." _Someone has sticky fingers..._

"Anyways, will you return those," I asked, "We still need to figure out who will bear the fire crystal and who will bear water crystal and whether or not they are with us at this time." Alvis shrugged in compliance, but, instead of giving me the crystals, he handed me the wind crystal, gave Ezra the water crystal and gave the fire crystal to Sabrina.

"I think it's safer to have everyone hold one crystal," he explained, "Who knows, I might have given everyone the right crystal." Contrary to his statement, I did not see the fire crystal or water crystal glow so, I shook my head.

"Wrong people," I said, "The crystals respond to their bearers in some way. They would notice." I didn't add that I would also notice a faint glow in the crystals, something I was still trying to understand.

"What suddenly makes you an expert on the crystals," asked Ezra. Luckily, I had a response planned for this question.

"There are four crystals and four bearers. Alvis heard the earth crystal while I was instantly drawn to the wind crystal. Following that logic, it makes sense that each crystal responds to the proper bearer."

"That does make sense," Ezra said, "But we lack evidence to support that theory." Sabrina nodded in agreement with Ezra, but didn't give her full opinion on the matter.

"I have to agree with Ikari," said Alvis, "If this guy..." he held up the earth crystal, which seemed to hum faintly in response. "hadn't called out to me, I wouldn't have known about the crystals being here in the first place. Anyways, we're wasting time. We need to reach the Chaos Shrine before any harm can befall Princess Serah." _Almost forgot about that... We still have to save her from the rogue knight- And the nagging is back and stronger than before._ I slowly stood up and drew Light Seeker and readied Minerva's Defender, alerting the others.

"Ikari, what are you doing? Is something wrong," asked Ezra, her hand moving toward her short sword. Alvis stood up and Sabrina loaded her gun.

"Something's... wrong," I said, closing my eyes and concentrating. "The mana doesn't feel natural." I wasn't being paranoid, the mana around us felt... tainted and unnatural. Normally mana was calm and flowed like a mixture of water and air around everyone and everything and, unless disturbed, tended to remain that way. At that moment, the mana felt sluggish, frenzied and disturbingly malevolent, as if something with ill-intent was slowly creeping towards us, thirsting for bloodshed and carnage. "Alvis, go get your equipment and our supplies. We need to start moving now." Alvis nodded and ran towards our encampment with great haste.

"Kai," questioned Sabrina, "Is something wrong?" I nodded, something was very wrong, but I couldn't explain why without giving too much away about myself. I could tell that nodding wouldn't suffice for her, so I decided to give her a vague answer when I heard a shout from Alvis. My feeling of dread only intensified when I recognized the fear in his voice.

"Run you idiots, run," shouted Alvis, fully clad in his attire from the previous day. He yelled something else, but it was drowned out by the deafening cry of a monstrous silhouette right behind him and the sheer malicious intent infused with the surrounding mana. I wasted no time grabbing the hands of Sabrina and Ezra and sprinting away from Alvis and the silhouette. Both of the women were confused for a moment, but quickly adjusted to the situation and began running with me, albeit slower. The creature released a second, murderous cry and over took all four of us.

"The hell is that thing," yelled Alvis as soon as we could see or pursuer. The first thing that stood out to me was the size of monster in front of us. It was easily the size of a large castle, not including its wingspan that seemed to blot out the sun. It was an avian, but far more dangerous than any of the ones I had heard of. It had four talons on both of its feet, each at least thrice the size of a person and looked sharp enough to slice through solid rock with little to no difficulty. Its eyes were the same jet black as its body and held intelligence that was not to be underestimated as well as arrogance befitting the predatory bird's. Its beak was off-white in color, wickedly sharp and hooked downward. Covering the avian's body was an oily sheen that projected a multitude of violets, blues, greens and reds across its body and several dark green runes that pulsed with dark light. Lastly was the mana around the beast, wild and vicious beyond nearly anything I had experienced before.

"The... Stratoavis... Lord of the Skies," breathed Sabrina, entranced by the majestic, yet vile bird of prey. "We... have no chance! We need to escape, quickly!" _How're we supposed to do that without-Oh! It looks like I may be able to pull another overcharged Dia and create an escape route... if the bird doesn't realize what I'm trying to do._

"I figured," said Alvis, drawing his sword and recreating the frenzied mana sensation from earlier. "Ikari, cover me!" _Wait wha!?_ I didn't have time to protest before Alvis sprinted towards the gigantic predatory bird and fired an ice spear at its head. The spear shattered on impact, but the Stratoavis barely acknowledged the attack and merely beat its wings slightly to send Alvis skidding backwards. The damned thing was toying with us. I growled before sprinting past Alvis and firing an Aura Burst at the monster, jumping directly afterward. My attack did nothing and, again, the bird flapped its wings to send me flying. Contrary to the bird's choice action, I'd wanted that to happen. You see, I'd noticed the wind crystal glow the moment Sabrina hit Alvis with her pressurized air blast and that made me wonder if the crystals reacted to their own element in large quantities. There was only one way to find out.

The moment the strong gust of wind hit me, the wind crystal lowed green and absorbed the wall of air before blasting me high into the sky. The Lord of the Skies, as well as my companions, looked up just as I ascended above and over its head and plunged Light Seeker into the down of its back- or at least tried to. The feathers on the Avian's back were easily as hard as steel and as slippery as refined glass because of the oily layer on the feathers, something I figured out when my father's sword uselessly bounced off the coat of feathers and I slid down the the bird's back landing on the ground with a loud and painful thud. _So this thing's defense is no joke, I thought to myself as I scrambled onto my feet. That only makes things more... Eu. Re. Ka. Oil and fire don't mix well... Actually they do, all too well._

"Alvis, think you can use that fire spell from earlier," I called, a devilish grin forming, "I think we can drive this guy off." Alvis, having gotten back onto his feet, gave me a blank look, but nodded. He most likely hadn't realized that oil created a colorful sheen when applied to water or partially reflective surfaces or wasn't thinking about the situation in the way I was. It was then that Ezra shouted a warning.

"Get down," she yelled a second too late. The Stratoavis drew back its wings then flapped them with enough force to create a cutting gale of wind that would've cut everyone to pieces had the wind crystal not absorbed a fair chunk of the attack's power. The four of us were blown back considerably, but everyone managed to stand after the attack, albeit with some difficulty. The avian looked down at us with contempt and cawed harshly, signifying its annoyance with us. _I guess it's ready to end this... luckily, so am I._ I tightened my grip on Light Seeker, channeling my own mana into the blade, before charging at the monstrous bird. The bird flapped its wings, trying to blow me back, but the wind crystal absorbed the wall of air and propelled me forward just as I jumped. Again, I was catapulted high into the sky, but this time I had a trick up my sleeve.

"Alvis, use the spell now," I shouted as my descent began and I readied the holy sword.

"Gotcha," returned the mercenary as he began drawing symbols in the air and chanting:

"Raging Flame, I summon thee. Devour the fiend before me with thine unending fury and heat.

Erase the entity that dares to stand before thy infernal blaze.

Ninjutsu: Flame!"

I felt the mana around me go insane as it coalesced into a large ball of roaring fire in front of Alvis. He grinned before batting the ball into the surprised avian just as I released all of the power I had stored in Light Seeker in a sphere of holy light infused with my spirit.

"Aura Burst!" The sphere exploded, blinding the Stratoavis at the exact moment that Alvis' fireball made contact with it. Immediately afterwards the world went red with flame. The Stratoavis released a shrill shriek as flames engulfed its flammable oil coat and, soon after, its entire body. The Lord of the Skies shrieked again, louder and harsher as the fire around it intensified... but it remained airborne. My eyes widened and I cursed just before a harsh screech, much closer to a roar, erupted from the fireball. I felt the mana go from insane to otterly chaotic, which gave me more than a splitting headache, as the flames around the monstrous bird turned black.

"Ikari, I think it's safe to say we only pissed it off," said Alvis dryly.

"You don't say," I snarled, the throbbing in my head making me more than a little frustrated, "Scatter!" The others needed no other prompting; they ran as if the god of chaos and despair, Pandaemonium, was after them and, at this point, I wasn't sure that he _wasn't_ after us.

Yet another warped screech erupted from the fireball before it exploded and revealed the Stratoavis, then in what I assumed to be its true form. The bird was the same shape and size as it had been before, but now licks of flames were coming from all parts of its body and its wings had feathers of various colors and hues, black remaining the central theme. The sigils on its wings were no longer duly glowing, rather they radiated emerald light that only grew in intensity as time passed. Finally there were the eyes which were no longer as black as void, instead they now shone a vehement shade of violet and were composed of running flames that "escaped" the avian beast's eye sockets.

"... You're a god damned Phoenix... Of course you would be one," I growled, again tightening my grip on my father's sword. The dark phoenix cawed in response before releasing a garbled, distorted sound that assaulted my ears. I ground my teeth as I attempted a futile charge at the avian, only to find myself stuck in place by an unseen force. The phoenix emitted the mangled sound again, expecting a response, but when it got none, mainly because I couldn't understand what it was trying to communicate, the bird changed its approach.

_**"Why did you not flee, mortal? You surely knew you could not hope to defeat me."**_

"Heh, I needed to give those three some time to escape. A Paladin will throw down his life to protect his comrades... Even if he dislikes a few of them," I retorted, irritated past the point of caring about my skull's wish to bash itself in.

_**"You speak as if you are a Son of Crusader, but you smell of Pandaemonium... How Peculiar. Still, you waste your life. I could easily tear you to pieces and go after the three who fled."**_

"You're right, but if that were your plan, I would be in ribbons and you would be gone from this spot."

_**"You remind me of your mother, you have her pride and arrogance." **_The bird seemed to smile when I reeled back as far as I could with my movement sealed, which, needless to say, was not far at all.

"You knew my mo-"

_**"Silence! You lack the right to question one as mighty as I! I shall pass judgment on you, but before I do I have a single question for you: What is the thing you hold most dear, mortal?" **_That surprised me more than the fact that the Stratoavis had met my mother. I tried to think of an answer that could potentially impress the bird, but nothing would come to mind.

_**"I see that you cannot come up with an answer mortal. You are not ready yet... Survive this trial and you will find the answer to that question." **_With that, the Lord of the Skies began gathering an obscene amount of mana into itself, causing the sigils on its wing to glow intensely. My head felt as if it would split itself open and I nearly cried out when the avian batted its wings, generating what could only bedescribed as a cyclone of chaotic mana- no elemental conversion or gerenation, just pure, unfiltered and unbridled mana let loose into the world.

To say the very least, I was in a lot of pain when the attack hit me. To be more specific, I felt as if my very soul was being torn to ribbons by Anima herself while my body felt as if were being charboiled by the sun. Then, I felt nothing. Everything faded to black then to grey as I felt darkness overtake me...

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><p>When Ikari told us to run, we did because we had no other choice: The Stratowhatever would've killed all us had we remained. Since then, none of us had seen him or the giant bird. Ezra tried to put on a brave face, but anyone could tell that she was worried about the kid. Sabrina was in a similar state, she constantly scanned the horizon for any sign of the Holy Squire. I just sighed and took the lead.<p>

It wasn't that I didn't feel anything, I was just so tired of all of the bullshit that had happened around me recently that I couldn't even try to show any emotions without getting depressed. I hated being depressed, everything around me always felt gloomy and foreboding, as if the world was trying to tell me that everything bad that happened around me was my fault. That was the reason I always tried to smile, to make others laugh and be true to themselves, even when everything seemed to be working against me.

To tell you the truth, I was angry. Angry at myself for not being around when Serah was kidnapped, for not being able to cheer up either of my companions, for not being able to face that monster like Ikari did. That's what the kid did, he told us to escape while he tried to buy us time and he managed to succeed, but at what cost? His absence demoralized everyone, myself included and I barely knew him. He reminded me of Elvis when he was younger, so full of life and carefree, but reliable when you needed him to be. I had always been in his- their- shadow when I was around them, but now it was my turn to take the lead. I couldn't just give up because There was no longer a shining beacon to guide me and the others.

"C'mon, we have to go," I said briskly, masking everything I felt, "We still have a job to do." Ezra, who had finally discarded her facade and began sobbing, snapped at me.

"Shut up! All you care about is your damned princess and nothing else," she shouted, "We left Ikari to die, for what?! To save your princess and act as if he never existed!?" I did my best to remain calm. I was just as affected as her, more likely less so because I hadn't known Ikari for nearly as long as Ezra had. Still, that didn't mean I didn't care about the ally I had lost.

"Ezra, I'm not saying Ikari was unimportant. While we didn't have the best relationship, it doesn't mean mean that I'm happy or glad in any way because he's gone," I responded slowly. "I'm rather shaken myself, but I'm not going to let that stop me from keeping a promise. You can sit here and cry all you want, but that won't bring back Ikari nor will it ease your sadness. It's up to you whether or not you follow me, but I'm going with or without your help!" I accidentally snapped at that last part, my words having become sharper than I intended for them to be. Ezra stared at me, her face red and streaked with tears as more began to well up, but she did not respond with words. Instead, she got up, dried her eyes and checked the bag I had retrieved for any supplies before hoisting it on to her back.

"Let's go," she said with a bitter tone. "I want to end this quickly and give Ikari a proper burial so, let's not waste time." With that, she walked off in the direction we had previously been heading, Sabrina following her without a word. I sighed scornfully at myself before heading after the two women. _Ikari, I won't let your sacrifice be in vain..._

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><p>Chapter Three Preview:<p>

_"How're you still standing!?"_

_"Is that truly all of the power you can muster? You disapoint me."_

_"Dread Blaze!"_

_"Alvis, look out!"_

_"No, You are NOT dead, in a dream or at home! Just let me talk, dammit!"_

_"It seems that many possibilities are in your future... Very interesting..."_

Continued in _**Node Three: Garland, Knight of Black.**_

**A/N: Finally finished this Chapter! This took much longer than I anticiapated and turned out to be longer than I expected. t was interesting to write, especially since I learned about my characters as I wrote it(I started out with the characters being semi-blank slates and I slowly added bits and pieces to to their personalities and pasts as I wrote. Now, I have much about their characters established.), especially Sabrina and Alvis. It was rather fun to write, but also somewhat depressing when I wrote Alvis' Point of View.**

**Now, I'm probably going to get a ton of outrage or outcries about Ikari so, I'm going to pose a question: Do you really think Ikari is dead? Do I seem like the type of person to kill off one of the main characte- Actually, don't answer that question, I still have a Chapter of Star Ocean to write that'll contradict some answers to that question and make others more correct. But seriously, do you think I'd kill off a character this early on?**

**Other than that, I thank you for reading this chapter. Drop a review if you want, all comments, critiques, compliments and questions will be accepted and answered if I have time or the freedom to do so, which I should have seeing as school is almost out for me. Thank you again for reading and if you take your time to review.**

**-Haos Serpent Blade/Azure Blade of Chaos.**


	3. Garland, Knight of Black

**A/N: So, This story won the poll. Initially, I was planning on writing all of P3:R's thirteenth chapter then writing the three chapters for this, but I realized I could **

**just work on that in my spare time, seeing as how school is out for me now and I **

**currently have little to nothing to do besides working around my house, playing **

**various games, reading or writing. Anyways, this chapter has been in my head **

**for just as much time as the future chapters involving the elemental fiends and Chaos. **

**I'd like to thank Herald and Lucenthia for reviewing, both of which helped me **

**feel more content with the previous chapter, and everyone who has read or is **

**currently reading this story. **

* * *

><p><strong>Character Bios:<strong>

Garland La'Noire- A knight of Cornelia that defected and kidnapped one of the princesses

of Cornelia for some reason. He earned the title, Cornelia's Greatest Knight, with his

prowess both in the dark arts and with his unusual weapon of choice. He is a formidable

opponent for even veteran warriors, making him a rather large impetus for the Crystal

Bearers. He seems to be older than his years... Class: Knight of Black(Dark Knight/Black

Mage) Ability: Black Artes(Origin), Jinx(Passive), Style Shift(Unique Weapon Skill)

Princess Serah Chere Cornelius- A princess of Cornelia that was abducted by Garland

for some reason. She is the third of eight children and is the most beloved. Contrary to

her calm, collected and somewhat docile exterior, she is quite adventurous, rebellious

and independent, something that she inherited from Elvis. She is the goal for the

Crystal Bearers at this point of their journey and seems to be connected to Alvis. Class:

Princess(Unique. Songstress/Fencer). Ability: Perform, Bluff, Sword Play.

Cherubim- A goddess of the Cupid designation. She is new to her position and seems

to have bad luck pairing up people with their partners. Above all, she hates being looked

down on because of her lack of experience and has a mean streak that influences her

powers as a goddess. A certain individual has tasked her with watching over Ikari. She

seems to know Ai. Class: -. Ability: Varies.

Igari- A being that resides within Ikari's subconscious and claims to not be a part of him. What he is exactly isn't clear, but he is far more severe and strict than Ikari. He knows all of Ikari's secrets. Class: Mimic. Ability: Unknown, Ikari's.

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><p><strong>Node Three: Garland, Knight of Black<strong>

It was cold. It was dark. I couldn't move. Was I dead?

"No, you aren't," said a voice I didn't recognize. It belonged to a girl and was rather annoyed sounding, not to mention very close by. "Anyways, are you some kind of damned idiot? You took on the Lord of the Skies, of all things, and you couldn't even ruffle its feathers! What the hell was going through that empty skull of yours?!" _Ouch... I tried, it wasn't my fault it turned out to be a Phoenix..._

"He wasn't really thinking, only acting out of impulse," said another unfamiliar voice, though this one was strikingly similar to my own voice. _What's going on? Is this what the afterlife is like?_

"For the second time, you aren't dead, idiot," said the girl's voice, sounding more annoyed. The lack of specification was not helpful, especially when I didn't feel like I was alive. I felt disconnected from my body, yet trapped in a prison that confined me to a single spot. I couldn't feel any part of my body, only registering the world around me based on what I could feel: The cold air and the lack of light. I wasn't blind, but everything was pitch black so I felt that way. The only thing I could properly perceive was sound, I could hear everything perfectly and properly. I didn't like that at all, it was a terrible state to be in and I felt as if I would vanish at any given moment. If this was truly what dying felt like, I had been misinformed and-

"For the last time, No, you are _NOT_ dead, nor are you in a dream in your bed at home if that crossed your mind," exclaimed the girl's voice a moment before I felt a jolt run through me. I suddenly was aware of my body, thankfully full intact feeling and not in agonizing pain, and the rest of my senses, which flooded back to me in a torrent of sensation. I clutched my head, getting a severe headache the moment everything came back to me.

"Who flashed me with Dia," I groaned, shutting my eyes until they finally adjusted to the mild light. I winced slightly when I felt a hand touch my forehead, I was tender to the lightest of touch and I could barely stand the scent of herbal tea and lavender that pervaded my nostrils, at least until I finished adjusting... Still, I felt worse than I did when Teleport was used on me, something that I didn't think was remotely possible.

"Finally ready to listen," said, more so commanded, the girl with a huff as I finally caught a glimpse of the two strangers with me. The first was a girl that looked strikingly similar to my mother after she expended all of her Mana on the day of the Darkening, a day I would have much rather forgotten. She was barely up to my chest in terms of height and had the physical appearance of a child no older than eight, maybe ten, years of age. Her skin was tinted peach and her face was slightly rounded, contrasting with her sharp, annoyed blue eyes, the only part of her that made her physically stand apart from mother as she had the emerald eyes that I had inherited. Her golden blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail that extended to just below her waist and she had a left facing bang. She wore an oversized white coat of the exact style as mother's and a pair of cotton trousers, dyed blue, with a white and blue tunic.

The second stranger was more peculiar. He was my height and, similar to the girl, had icy blue eyes. His hair was a stony bluish grey and was styled in a way that resembled both my hair and father's. Stranger still was the fact that his armor seemed to be a polished, refined version of the Rustic Armor I wore, the only real difference being that his armor came with a helm that had a pair of black, curving, curling horns as opposed the circlet I had... _How odd, that they both look familia- _I stopped in mid-thought, having realized that the person I was looking at was almost my spitting image, even the way he stood and held himself. I was going to voice my confusion as to why we were so similar, when the girl interrupted me by clearing her throat.

"Ahem. Now, are you ready to listen or are you going to continue staring at yourself like you do in a mirror," she asked, giving me a dull look as she held her ponytail with one hand and twirled it with the other. "Because the longer you take, the longer it'll take to explain this and get on our way." _Huh? What does she mean by 'our' way? Does she mean herself and me or herself and Blue Me?_

"I'd prefer not to be called 'Blue Me' or any variation of anything implying that we are the same being," said... Er, Blue Guy out of nowhere, as if he could read my mind... Wait, don't tell me-

"You're just now noticing that, Ikari," asked the girl, tsking at my... Incompetence? It wasn't my fault I couldn't tell that they were able to see inside my head, though I guess it was a little obvious, considering the fact that the girl seemed to know when I thought I was dead and commented on it each time... I blame my odd situation earlier for me not noticing that.

"He's going off on a tangent again, Cherubim," said Blue Guy before sighing and turning to face me directly. "Igari. That's my name, not 'Blue Me', 'Blue Guy' or any other name with the word 'Blue' in it. Understood?" _Yikes, someone is a little touchy... Fitting, given his name._

"I'm going to hit you..." _Right, he can read my mind, that makes things more odd and confusing._

"Finally done with that? Good," said the girl, whom I was sure Igari called Cherubim. _Maybe it's her name? _"Ikari Light, son of Hikari and Ai Light, if you do not stop going off on mental tangents, I will make sure that, by the time this is over, you'll wish you were personally annihilated by Anima herself." That killed off any stray thoughts. Who ever she was, she was not to be trifled with, judging by her threat. "Now listen, and listen well, I have a headache and I hate repeating myself. You, Igari and I are in your subconscious. This is not a dream nor a vision appearing to you as you take your dying breaths, you are unconscious. I'd berate you for the reason you are in your present state, but, if I waste too much time here, it'll take longer than necessary to tell you what you need to know. Understanding me so far?" I nodded and the girl(Cherubim?) sighed with relief.

"I'm oblivious, not dull," I said, earning an irate glare from Cherubim, which I decided was probably her name. I'd correct that if or when it was brought up.

"You're right, you aren't dull, you're a complete idiot that relies on impulse rather than thought out actions."

"I'm beginning to wonder if you say and do the first thing that pops into your head. That _would _explain why you end up in messes like this," added Igari, sounding both bored and tired. _Ouch, those two are rather sharp tongued._

"Continuing, you are currently detached from your physical body..." _Wait, what? _"Let me finish. You are still inside your body, but your spirit isn't tethered to it, at least for now. That'll be changing very soon. Until then, Igari will teach you how to not get yourself killed in upcoming battles and I'll be teaching you a few more spells to go along side Dia, Cure and Spark." _Well this will be fun... Who am I kidding, this will probably hurt a ton. _

"Ikari, prepare yourself," said Igari, drawing his sword, a rapier like weapon with a bejeweled, spun guard. I didn't like the smile he had or the direction my situation seemed to be heading...

* * *

><p>The last few days had been uneventful and dreary. Ezra and Sabrina were still visibly distraught by Ikari's fate and I was the one who looked like the bad guy. Part of me said I should've given the two more time to get over Ikari, but the professional in me told me that I had made the right choice, even if it left a bad taste in my mouth. The only real upside to the most recent events was the lack of monsters during our travels.<p>

Since the Stratoavis had appeared, no monsters came near us, a rather strange thing in the eyes of one who had fought countless monsters in order to keep himself and his allies alive. It was if the bird had some sort of lingering effect on us, one that spooked even the most aggressive and openly hostile monsters in the area. It was... Unnerving. Not to say the peace was unwelcome, which it wasn't, but it still put me on edge since I couldn't discern why we were being avoided rather than confronted. _It's as if that bird marked us as its prey and nothing else's... As if it is waiting for a moment where it can swoop down and finish us off..._

I shook my head, ridding myself of the thought, when we came across an ancient shrine in ruins. We had reached our destination and, judging by the sheer malice I felt pouring from inside the ruined shrine, it was not going to be a simple walk in, save the princess, then leave type of job. No, that would've been far too easy and inconvenient of a task for one of my skill. _Damned gods of fate, always making things more difficult than they need to be._

"Ezra, Sabrina,you two feel that right," I asked, unsure if I was the only one who sensed the evil and bloodlust emanating from the Chaos Shrine. I was both relieved and worried when I received silent nods from the two of them: That meant something _really _bad had happened here and whatever remainders of said incident were not content with their fate.

"...le..ded," muttered Sabrina, drawing in the air what I assumed to be a warding symbol from her home before drawing her gun from its holster. I wanted to ask her what she said, but I knew I wouldn't get a response. The only person that would've gotten a response was gone and there was nothing we could do about that now. With a sigh, I drew my broadsword and imbued it with the power of my Flame Ninjutsu.

"We might as well get ready for a big battle the moment we head inside," I said, my eyes hardening as I tensed up for the coming trials.

"I had already prepared in advance," Ezra said in an even tone, her short sword drawn and at the ready.

"In that case, let's not waste time," I stated, pushing open the partially destroyed entrance to the shrine, smelling the foul stench of mold, decaying flesh, blood and rust as I did. Ezra gagged at the smell and covered the lower part of her face, clearly not as prepared as she thought she was. Sabrina, however, looked unphased, though it was difficult to read her with the hood she wore to conceal her face. I was used to the smell, unfortunately. A similar smell lingered on every battlefield I had visited, only worsening as the conflict did... _Too many bad memories..._

"Alvis, look out," shouted Ezra, tearing me away from my thoughts in time for me to see a sword hurtling towards my head. I snapped to the side, evading the weapon by a hair, then retaliated by throwing three knives that were previously hidden in my coat's sleeve at the mystery assailant. A moment later the sound of blades meeting flesh escaped from the dark place, followed by a ghastly moan that came from something less than human. Soon, several other inhuman moans sounded, along with the sound of feet sloshing through liquid and rattling bones, all of which converging on us. _You've got to be kidding me... Undead!? Of all the things to have to deal with, we have to fight UNDEAD!? Dammit, we needed Ikari for this place!_

"Move it, you two," I snarled, pulling the women after me as I entered the defiled shrine, a mistake as it was pitch black inside. Cursing, I heard Erza mutter "Fire" and small flame was brought into existence, again to both my relief and distress. While the light from the fire made us less helplessly lost in the unnatural darkness of the ruined shrine, it also revealed that it wasn't a simple few Undead, It was an entire legion of the menaces, but, just to pile on the bullshit, i wasn't just Undead! No, there were also Arachnids, Spirits, Puddings and Beasts, all of which made the hell that this place was already was ten times fucking worse! Okay, _Alvis, you're losing your composure, calm down before you make a mistake... Still, this is absolutely ludicrous! _I closed my eyes, then sighed: This was not going to be easy with two people that probably weren't prepared to handle a situation like the current one, much less anything on its scale.

"Listen up," I barked, gaining the full attention Ezra and Sabrina, "We're going to make a run for it, the safe zone of this place, because that's the only way Garland could've survived the mess we're about to take on. We're going to cut down all of the enemies that are important, the ones that either bar our path or get too close for comfort, and do our best to avoid any others. We'll have to be quick about it too, Undead don't like to remain dead in places like this, even if killed again. Any objections?" When no verbal answer came, I knew that they had no objections, at least none that were even partially valid at this point. "Alright then, move it!" It was then that all hell broke loose.

As if a spell had been broken, the horde infesting the shrine surged towards the three of us. I managed to cut down a few of the Zombies and Skeletons before I had to use Flame to put some distance between us and the horde. Ezra, having gotten over the smell of the shrine, alternated between Cure and Fire burning anything that tried to cross the flames. Sabrina did nothing at first, but it took me no time to figure out why: Her gun would only bring more of the shrine's denizens down upon us, something we couldn't afford as we were barely keeping the ones after us away, even as we raced through it and blocked their access. It didn't help that we were being slowed by the bloody water that filled the majority to the shrine and went past our ankles for the most part, barring the areas with debris and higher sections of the uneven floor, or that no matter where we turned or how many we cut down, more and more monsters kept appearing. _Damn, we're in a tight spot! _I gritted my teeth at the situation at hand, knowing that there had to be a way out of it... _Oh my goodness, I'm either a genius or crazy for thinking of this! Wait, can they even pull that off? If not, we're screwed..._

"Alvis, any suggestions," yelled Ezra, her face contorted with a mixture of fear and anger. "I don't think we can stand too much more of this before things turn sour!"

"I know," I returned as I launched a wall of fire at a few oncoming Black Widows and Green Slimes. "Ezra, can you absorb magic by any chance?"  
>"Of course I can," she snapped, swiftly cutting the throat of a Zombie before igniting her short sword and free hand, then swaying her hips in an almost seductive manner. "Rondo of Fire!"<p>

With grace I hadn't seen from her, Ezra danced into a group of enemies, twirling and swaying gently as she serenely cut through and immolated all that she came across, finally ending her dance of death by bringing her hands together above her head, then spreading them, releasing two rings of fire that spun around her until she brought her sword to the air and crossed her legs, a faint yellow spark running along the edge of the blade. _Not good._

I practically forced Sabrina into my arms as I jumped out of the liquid, just in time to avoid a painful death by electrocution as Ezra struck the liquid with her blade, generating a visible surge of electricity across the the surface of the bloody water as she danced, differently than before. Just as she prepared to finish her dance, a Black Widow attempted to literally get the jump on her, only to be split in half by a frozen projectile fired, albeit silently, by Sabrina. I began to realize that the two of them deserved far more credit than I gave them initially, still we were up against the wall and had very little to keep us from falling to the sheer number of monsters.

"Sabrina, can you pull off an Elemental Rhapsody," I asked, praying that the silent girl could use the technique that combined the five colored black magics into one. I felt her nod then sensed the the power of fire, ice, lightning, water and darkness gathering into a single point. _Next comes the risky part. Ezra, forgive me for what I'm about to do... _I gulped before I ordered Sabrina to fire the coalescing elements at Ezra. Without batting an eye, Sabrina fired, hitting Ezra between her shoulder blades with the combination, stunning the woman in the dress before she began to scream in pain as the elements gathered in and around her. She fell to her knees, her hands sinking into the murky water as she began to glow with the power of each of the six basic elements. I quickly shielded Sabrina as Ezra released a piercing scream before everything was engulfed by prismatic light, myself included...

...

...

When I came to, I was sprawled out on the ground, thankfully no longer partially submerged, with a terrible headache. I barely pulled myself off the ground when I was slammed into a wall, now a brilliant cobalt as opposed to the grimy, sooty black it had been, by Ezra, who was justifiably seething.

"If you try something like that again, dying will be the LEAST of your worries," she hissed, her sharp blue eyes narrowed ferociously. I nodded, knowing I deserved worse, when she slugged me across the face, hard. I deserved that too, though she hit much harder than I expected her to. I rubbed the side of my face once she let me down and, thankfully, there was no swelling. Sabrina looked on, amused, but made no comment, as usual. I was really beginning to think that Ikari was the only person who could get her to say anything.

"Now that we're past that, let's look around for the safe-," I stopped in mid-sentence, seeing a door that I missed while we had been running from the Undead and company... _Hidden in plain sight, of course it would be. _"-area... I think this is the door to the place we were looking for." Sabrina nodded slowly while Ezra scoffed, as if I had said the obvious... Which I had. I sighed then walked to the door cautiously and prepared to open it, when the Earth Crystal I held began to pulsate. I checked it and found that the Crystal was shining intensely, as were the Water and Fire Crystals. Something important was behind this door... I told the others to stay back before I pushed the door open and stood face to face with the successor to my title.

"Hmph, to think someone managed to dispel the malice here temporarily," said the man clad in fearsome silver armor, his voice rumbling under the horned helmet he wore. "I take it you have come for the princess. Unfortunately, she is rather... preoccupied by her current situation." The smugness in the man's voice was enough to make me want to beat him within an inch of his life, but his remark about Princess Serah is what nearly tipped me over the edge. I glanced to the side and saw that some sort of shadowy mesh was binding the princess in place, one that seemed to be trying to either merge with her or absorb her. It didn't matter what it was TRYING to do, I had finally lost my composure, my temper following suit. I felt myself become angry.

"Release her," I growled, my broadsword and Ninjutsu at the ready. Garland only laughed, deepening my anger greatly.

"You, harm me? Surely you jest, vagrant," he chuckled before removing a massive sword from his back. "If you're all of the competent warriors that Elvis can send after me, I have nothing to worry about. Instead, I, Garland La'Noire, shall knock you down!" I barely had time to finish registering the knight's words before I was blocking a blow that shook me to my core. Without so much as a second to recover, I was forced to dodge and parry Garland's onslaught of attacks, most of which I could barely get out of the way of. This man was no joke, even if I wasn't in the best condition and unable call upon my full strength. I could tell that he was going to give me a serious run for my money, something that worried me because I got the feeling he wasn't going all out. I ducked under a wide swing from the man, only to have to roll away from the man as he tried to catch me with a punch. I retaliated with Flame, hoping to knock the knight off balance, but I had no such luck. If anything, he seemed to absorb the flames into himself and countered with a heavy strike with the blunt side of his sword, a blow that sent me flying out of the room and back into the interior of the shrine.

"Damn, he hits like a Gigas," I cursed, springing to my feet in time to avoid being impaled by Garland, who ended up stabbing his blade into a wall of the shrine. I wanted to capitalize on his position, but he simply tore his sword out of the wall, flinging parts of it in my direction. I managed to roll out of Garland's way, but he wouldn't let up for a second! I was forced to dodge for my life as Garland swung his sword around, single handedly but, with great skill and precision. _Damn, I need an opening! _It was at that moment Sabrina and Ezra joined the fray.

"Frost Tempo," Ezra hissed before stomping on the ground, generating a large symbol similar to a snow flake under her foot. A series of smaller ones shot towards Garland, who jumped back, only to slip when he landed on symbol that mirrored the one Ezra stood on. The symbols must've had another property because the knight was suddenly sliding towards Ezra, who unleashed a series of elegant, yet vicious kicks that caused Garland's armor to freeze over. Not finished yet, the dancer crouched, readying her sword, which was now surrounded by a series of glyphs that coated the blade in jagged ice, before stabbing the knight in the center of his breastplate, sending him into the air to be struck by six small ice crystals followed by a much larger one that slammed him into the ground. Sabrina followed Ezra's combination with what I assumed to be a simple casting of a spell. I was wrong.

"Ruination," chanted the cloaked girl before firing a clear sphere of energy with a swirling black and purple center at the downed knight. At first, nothing happened, then Garland was launched back into the air by an explosion that occurred beneath him. Sabrina then fired several more of the spheres into the air, directing them to surround Garland before she spun her gun around several times, then fired a larger sphere with grey energy tendrils along with with the swirling mass in the center. "Bang."

The moment the sphere touched the knight he was flung into one of the smaller spheres by the larger one's explosion. The same happened with the smaller spheres, though the explosions were delayed, eventually grounding the knight with enough force to crack the ground. I had definitely underestimated the two of them... Those attacks weren't anything to laugh at, they were destructive and had probably slain the knight.

I dusted myself off and thanked the two women for their help, especially Ezra's because she restored me to peak condition with Cure, before walking towards the room, intent on freeing Serah. I stopped when rumbling laughter echoed behind me. The three of us whipped around and saw that Garland had not only risen to his feet, but he seemed barely affected by Ezra and Sabrina's attacks.

"Was that truly all of the power you could muster? You disappoint me," mocked the knight as he readied his monstrous sword. _What the hell!? He shouldn't have been able to get up after that!_

"How are you still standing," shouted Ezra, her sword ready. Garland only laughed, then replied.

"I'll show you real power," said the knight, swinging his sword in my direction despite his distance from me. I thought that he must've been delirious and on his last leg, when Ezra shouted three familiar words at me.

"Alvis, look out!" I didn't have time to properly block Garland's attack, which had come from his his sword over an impossible distance, so I skirted to the side, avoiding being cleaved by Garland's extended weapon. _What the hell!? _The blade snaked back to Garland, bringing his sword back to its original form. Garland wasted no time swinging the extendable weapon at the three of us showing excellent control over the weapon's movement, speed and direction. It was harder to dodge and hit harder, making the battle drastically harder as long as the three of us remained close together.

"Make some distance," I ordered before I dove away from the weapon, readying, Blitz, my lightning Ninjutsu. Garland must've considered me to be his primary target because he sent his whip like sword after me, though I had begun to get a feel for the weapon's movement speed. I ducked and slinked between Garland's attacks, rapidly closing the distance between us, then cast Blitz. For a moment nothing happened, then a lightning bolt struck the knight, stunning him. _My turn now!_

Not wasting a moment, I closed the distance between myself and Garland, slashing him thrice across the torso with my still enchanted blade. I quickly cast Icicle, launching a frozen lance at the knight before driving my sword through his chest. I expected a dying gasp, but only got more laughter from the man before he lifted me up by the neck and hurled me at a wall with inhuman strength. Luckily for me, Erza softened my impact with a quick casting of Aero, though it still hurt.  
>"Good, good, you are more entertaining than I thought," Garland lauded before he snapped the guard and handle off of my broadsword. "I guess it is time for me to show you real power." I really didn't like how that sounded or how he began to glowing brightly. Within seconds, Garland was clad in brighter armor and the long, tattered cape he had worn was now white with blue symbols adorning it. The wound to his chest was still present, but there was no sign of it bothering him in the slightest. <em>That's! He can Awaken!? Damn, this just became much less favorable for us...<em>

"Alvis, what's going on," asked Ezra, shocked by Garland's transformation.

"He just awakened. You two, get as far away from here as you can because this is going to turn ugly very quickly," I snapped. I couldn't feasibly take on Garland in his current state, especially since I didn't know what powers he had gained from his Awakening, but I knew I had a chance if I played my card's ri-

"We're not letting you get yourself killed," said Sabrina, matching my tone, "I'll provide ranged support and analysis, while Ezra acts as your partner and close ranged support. Since you don't have any weapon besides your knives, focus on Ninjutsu and hit-and-run tactics." I found myself nodding to what Sabrina said. Our ideas for my actions were similar, though she had also incorporated supporting roles, which drastically increase my- our- chance at success.

"Alright, but don't blame me if the two of you get a scrape or two," I said with a grin before charging Garland at my top speed, six throwing knives at the ready and more in reserve, with Ezra in hot pursuit. Garland seemed to expect this and waited until I was a few feet away from him to shift his sword... into an axe... and swing it directly at me... _Oh, shi- _

I was batted away from the knight like a doll, landing hard on the ground and sliding a few additional feet. _That hurt a lot. He got a strength boost and a new weapon for- Oh that's just not fair! _I saw Ezra fending off Garland with her short sword and dagger, though the aforementioned knight was using a pair of swords: One of which was smaller and appeared to be a part of his other, larger sword that was missing a portion in the shape of the smaller blade. Despite their differences in stature, Ezra was doing quite well against the knight, at least until she managed to knock both of his arms upwards, which allowed him to reform his weapon into one.

"Ezra, move to the side," I yelled a moment too late. Garland transformed his sword into its axe form and struck the area that Ezra had been a second earlier, catching the dancer off balance with the tremor his attack generated. I began to sprint towards Ezra and the knight in time to see Garland smash the woman into the ceiling with a quick strike from his sword, now in whip mode. He caught Ezra by the throat as she fell and transformed his sword back into an axe in order to cleave the dancer in half. Thankfully, Sabrina took a shot at the knight at that moment, briefly slowing him with a shot to the head, something that allowed me to pull off a quick casting of Terre, my Earthen Ninjutsu. Before Garland could resume his attack on the struggling dancer, a jagged, uneven stone slab stabbed into his back and stunned him long enough for Ezra to break out of his grasp and skirt away from the knight.

Garland didn't laugh this time, rather, he grew infuriated by the three of us and lifted his sword above his head after pulling himself off of the stone. I felt dark energy gathering and went on the defensive, recognizing that the next attack would not be pleasant.

"Brace yourselves," I warned just as Garland finished gathering energy into his sword and launched it towards the three of us in its whip form.

"Dread Blaze," he roared as the sword hit the ground and black, red and purple flames exploded outwards, burning me and Sabrina while knocking us to the ground, while Ezra was barely singed by the dark flames. I growled, still not quite sure how we were going to defeat the knight when Sabrina spoke, albeit with a slight cough.

"Observation... Complete. Target has... No weaknesses," she huffed, holding her chest, "Target is also rather slow, explaining his lack of movement... Capitalize on this." I nodded, coughing lightly, as I drew six knives and enchanted them with Blitz. I had a plan, one that I had used to fell a dragon in one of my previous jobs, of course it wasn't going to be easy to pull off.

"Ezra, Sabrina, do either of you have enough Mana to cast Thunder," I asked, my plan was dependant on that since I had enough Mana to do what I was planning, but not much else after that.  
>"No, I barely have any myself. If I got hit by a normal spell, maybe," Ezra said, nearly dashing my hope for my plan succeeding.<p>

"The same is applicable here," said Sabrina, "I don't have enough Mana because I used most of it with Ruination and the Elemental Rhapsody... I could, however, transfer what Mana I have left to Ezra in hopes that it is enough for her to cast Thunder. Why?" I side stepped a ranged attack from Garland before I could answer.

"Just do that," I shouted before I sprinted towards Garland, my knives ready to be thrown. "Bring it on, bastard, I'll finish you off with this!" Garland laughed at my bluff before he shifted his sword into axe form and dashed towards me, faster than he appeared to be able to. I skipped away from the knight, then to the side when he smashed his axe into the ground and a trail of spikes erupted from the ground, following me as I tried to gain some distance. I easily avoided the attack only to be bombarded by cutting winds when Garland returned his sword to its base form then extended the plates, making the blade longer, and swung it at me.

"What's the matter, I thought you were going to end things quickly," scoffed the knight, attempting to spear me with his extended sword. I rolled under the attack and managed to place three of my knives into the ground before I had to dodge a swing of his axe, which had been getting more accurate as time progressed. I positioned my fourth and fifth knives before I had to make more distance between myself and the knight because I was barely avoiding his attacks again.

"Hurry up," I shouted to Ezra and Sabrina, not taking my eyes off of Garland for an instant. I back flipped away from the knight, placing my last knife in its intended position before I was slammed into the ceiling, then slashed across the chest after the wind had been driven out of me. I gasped from the shock of the two blows, sluggishly rolling to the side of the knight.

"Ready," shouted Ezra, whose timing I was thankful for. Now all I needed to do was lure the knight into the middle of the area where I had positioned my knives. _Easier said than done..._

I had the time to down half a Potion before I had to skirt away from Garland and ready the last part of my plan. Using what Mana I had left, I imbued another of my knives with both Blitz and Gale, my wind ninjutsu, then did my best to try and lure Garland into the circle of knives. I was partially successful.

Garland took a few steps in my direction before he shot his sword at me, cutting into my left arm. I clutched my injured arm, now unable to avoid the knight as easily as before. He seemed to recognize this because he began taking slow, purposed steps towards me, his sword back in axe form. This worked in my favor because I was able to toss my seventh knife and get it into its position at the center of the circle before I had to focus solely on evading the knight. Garland continued to pace after me, a smug aura about him, either not realizing or caring about the trap that he was walking into. When he stepped over the center knife, I made sure I was outside the ring before I shouted to Ezra.

"Ezra, Thunder!" At first nothing happened and was I afraid that Ezra didn't have enough Mana to cast Thunder, but my doubts were cleared when lightning struck Garland, and the knife under him by extension, dead on, stunning him as I began drawing a sigil in the air, finishing just as the knight recovered. The six knives around the knight began to crackling with blue electricity while the one beneath him trapped him in place, signifying that my plan had succeeded. Soon the electricity began to spread away from the knives, connecting them with a faint ring of lightning.

"What sort of trickery is this," roared the knight, unable to move from his place at the center of the circle. It was my turn to laugh this time.

"Trickery? No, this is the power of Ninjutsu," I proclaimed as the ring of lightning grew brighter and began to spin, "Enjoy the show." With that, the first lightning bolt struck Garland. Unable to do more than squirm against his binding, the knight was hit by the second bolt, stronger than the first, and the third, which was stronger than the second. Soon the fourth, fifth and sixth bolts struck the knight, whose armor was now orange from the repeated lightning strikes, before all of the electricity converged on the knife below the knight. A few moments passed before a violet stream of lightning erupted from below the knight, engulfing him completely as it tore through the ceiling of the ruined shrine. All that remained of the knight was a molten puddle of what used to be his armor,his sword, which showed no signs of damage despite what it had just experienced, and blackened bones.

"A-Alvis, What was THAT," asked Ezra after a moment, "That wasn't something anything less than a tier three spell could do... So how did you pull that off?"

"Easy," I replied, clutching my wounded arm, before explaining how each lightning strike fed the one following it, boosting its power, and how the ring had kept the power from being released after each subsequent strike. By the time I was done, Sabrina was also listening, though she had gone back to being silent.

"You mean to say that this Ninjutsu of yours deviates from the rules of standard Black and White Magic? That explains how it would be able to bypass and work around some things..." Ezra said, perplexed. "I guess it's similar to my Dances in that sense." I wanted to ask her what she meant, but we had more pressing matters to attend to, mainly confirming the well being of the Princess. I rushed into the room where Garland had held Serah captive and found that the shadowy mesh was no longer present on the now collapsed princess. I quickly checked the girl for a pulse, sighing with relief when I found one. I quickly embraced her and whispered to her.

"Serah, Uncle Alvis is back."

* * *

><p>"Can you two be a little less rough? It's not easy to avoid the both of you, ya know," I whined as I was knocked over for the umpteenth time in less than however many minutes had passed. I couldn't really judge how much time had passed while I was still disconnected from my body, which made things annoying.<p>

"If you would replicate your actions from earlier, you wouldn't have to complain," stated Igari as he readied his sword yet again.

"What he said," chimed in Cherubim, "We would've been done awhile ago had you not showed us something interesting and beyond our expectations." I sighed. They were referring to the moment in which I managed to surpass Igari's speed and strength and counter Cherubim's Aerora. While I was glad to find out that I could surpass these two, I couldn't repeat what I had done, no matter how much I tried or how much they sent my way.

"I told you, I can't do it again," I said, "It was a fluke that I could do that!"

"If you've done it once, you can do it again," said Igari, matter-of-factly. "Accident or no, we won't stop until either you reconnect with your body or you can access whatever power you drew from in any situation. Now, get up." I sighed, readying Light Seeker and Minerva's Defender. _Damn,this is almost worse than father's training..._

* * *

><p>"Alvis, she's clinging to you again," said Ezra, exasperated. Princess Serah was indeed clinging to my arm as we entered Cornelia after an equally uneventful return trip from the Chaos Shrine. I scratched the back of my head, chuckling lightly as I persuaded Serah to let go of my injured arm.<p>

"But, Uncle Alvis, I want to stay close to you," responded the Princess, squeezing my arm enough for me to wince as we neared the castle.

"Serah, you can just hold my hand," I sighed, "Elvis would have my head if he saw you doing this." The funny thing was that I wasn't joking. Elvis' family was his life inside the castle. He made sure that his daughters were well mannered and understood that power wasn't a free pass to living as you pleased. He had, along with his late wife, taught them morality and how some of the most infuriating decisions were often for the best. He was also extremely overprotective of his daughters, enough to scare away their suitors with anything he could, and while he was my closest friend, he would still be rather severe to me if he thought I was after any of his daughters. _He already threatened to dock my pay if he found out that Fran went through with her plan to try and elope with me...If he saw Serah clinging to me-_

"Alvis, we're at the castle gates," said Ezra, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded and waved at the knight who had been with Perimedes when Ezra and I had first visited the castle. He returned the gesture before having the castle gate raised, allowing my group to enter the castle. A few minutes of walking and a flight of stairs later, we were in the throne room, where Elvis was waiting.

"Alvis, you've returned," exclaimed the king before he saw his daughter and cried out with joy. "Serah!"

"Father," cried the princess, running to her father and giving him a hug.

"I'm glad you're safe," said Elvis, tightening his embrace on his daughter before looking up at me, Ezra and Sabrina. "What can I do to repay you? I'm in your debt." I prepared to answer, but Ezra spoke up in my stead.

"Two things actually," she said, "The thing I ask for is the restoration of the bridge that links Cornelia to Pravoka and the rest of that continent."

"Ah, that," replied Elvis, "I'll send word to have that repaired as soon as possible. And your second request?"

"Have you seen any sign of a Paladin in the area? One with blonde hair and green eyes?" I noticed Ezra pause, as if waiting to hear that Ikari truly wasn't among the dead. _She hasn't given up hope... Poor girl. _

"Alas, no," responded Elvis, dashing Ezra's hopes, "I apologize, but the only person that has entered the city is a strange blue haired male. He was unconscious when he arrived and has yet to wake up."

"I-I see," muttered Ezra, dejectedly. "In that case, that is all I have to ask..." Elvis peered at the girl curiously before nodding, as if he understood something.

"I see, you lost an important person to you... In that case, tell me the person's name and I'll see to it that they receive the best funeral rites and honors they deserve."

"Father will keep his word," said Serah, "He never has gone back on it nor has he lied about doing things." I nodded, Elvis was that kind of person. He would never play with your trust and always kept his word.

"Ikari Light," mumbled Ezra.

"I see... Ikari shall receive the best that I can give him," responded the king before changing the topic, "Now, enough with that! Let us feast in remembrance of Ikari and to congratulate you... three- in your endeavor to save my daughter!" Within seconds the room was filled with people in assorted costumes, pulling Ezra, Sabrina and Serah out of the room, leaving me and Elvis.

"Is something bothering you, Elvis," I asked seeing the serious expression on his face.

"Was Garland...," Elvis needed not complete that sentence. I nodded and drew the monstrous sword that the former knight had carried around.

"Yes, this is all that remains of him," I replied, "You don't mind if I keep this, do you?"

"Do what you please with it, Alvis, I don't want a reminder of that traitor to remain in my kingdom longer than it must," the king said, "Serah seems to be alright, thankfully. If she had been harmed or worse... I don't think I could've dealt with that..." I patted my friend on the back.

"Remember, Serah is hardier than she lets on," I reminded him, "Remember when she punched the man after Rinoa, then proceeded to fight off his entire entourage while insulting them? Or when she got lost in the forest near town, only to return with light scrapes, a few bruises, a dirty dress and the tooth of a wolf?" Elvis chuckled.

"Or when tore the sides of her dress because it 'Slowed her down...' She takes after me the most out of all of my daughters. I remember doing things like her when I was her age."

"Yeah, and I was the one trying to stop you from hurting yourself," I said with a smile, "The tables sure have turned..."

"Indeed they have, Alvis," sighed Elvis, "I remember the day I ran away from the kingdom to adventure and you trailed behind me, trying your best to get me to return because father asked you to." Elvis laughed a little.

"As I recall, we ended up slaying a dragon during that escapade of yours," I said, remembering the battle that made me choose my current lifestyle. "Ah, those were the days."

"They were," agreed Elvis, "I miss them, but I wouldn't trade anything I have now to relive those days."

"That's because you've matured, Womanizer Prince," I said, a sly grin replacing my smile.

"Those are some mighty words coming from the Womanizing Emperor," countered Elvis, "My title no longer fits me, unlike yours." A moment of silence followed before the two of us exploded with laughter.

"Ha... I'll miss working under you, Elvis," I said after a moment, gaining the king's attention.

"You're leaving?" I nodded.

"Yeah, those two girls need my help with what they have to do."

"...Did you-"

"No! Sure Ezra is my type, but Sabrina? She hardly talks with anyone and doesn't appeal to me even slightly. Plus, I don't go for women with red eyes."

"...Still, knowing you, you'd make an exception to that rule."

"Nah, not in this case... You mentioned a blue haired kid showing up here," I asked changing the subject.

"Ah yes. An armor clad teen appeared outside of the castle about a week ago. He was unconscious, so he was sent to the guest room to recuperate. You can visit him if you'd like."

"Maybe before I leave. I have provisions to get and I need to have my arm and chest looked at by a healer before I can do anything extra."

"I see... Well, I do believe you'll have ample time. it will take a few days before the bridge is fixed," said Elvis before standing, "I believe we've kept the others waiting. Let us go before they worry." I shrugged before following Elvis to where we were going to dine.

* * *

><p>"Finally," I exclaimed as I slipped between the whirlwind of slashes Igari launched at me. I avoided each slash and countered with my own, growing faster with each strike i managed to land on the more experienced fighter.<p>

"Very good," applauded the blue haired man, setting down his weapons, "You've finally gotten the hang of that skill. Now tell me, was it a technique or magic?"

"Focus," I said, puzzling him and Cherubim. "It was a state of focus. I had to concentrate on each individual attack that you launched in order for me to avoid them."

"Only an idiot or a genius could come up with something like that," said Cherubim, "Still that doesn't explain how you neutralized my Aerora and Aerogas." I shrugged. I didn't really know how I had done that either. _I know that I didn't do anything really special, really it was as if the Mana had dispersed when I struck at the spells._

"I don't know, it just happened," I said, earning an irritated look from the girl that was apparently a Goddess.

"Whatever you say, Ikari," she tsked, "You're almost connected to your body again, so I'll let you off with that answer for now. In any event, I'll be accompanying you even in the outside world, so don't think you've heard the last of me." I nodded just as I felt myself fade into back into unconsciousness.

...

...

"...an... min... o. He... Ca... yo. ... me? Can you hear me," asked a voice I didn't recognize. I gingerly opened my eyes, but didn't shut them because the shift in lighting hadn't hurt my eyes.

"Yes, just a little slow," I yawned as I took in my surroundings. I was in a large room that was well furnished. I was currently sitting in a soft bed, surrounded by three girls, all of which were near my age. The first was wearing a simple dress and had grey eyes that stood out because of her nearly golden hair. The second wore a ballroom gown and had the same grey eyes, but had silvery hair. The third wore a dress that was between plain and elaborate and had eyes that gleamed gold, while her hair was a light brown. "...Where am I?"

"You're inside of Castle Cornelia," said the silver haired girl, "I'm Princess Fran, these are my sisters, Luca and Rinoa." _...Wait, Princesses? Cornelia... Wasn't I supposed to save a princess?_

"It is a pleasure to see that you're finally awake mister...," said the princess with the golden hair, the one I assumed to be Luca.

"Ikari," I responded, gathering my wits about me, "Ikari Light."

"Ikari Light, eh? Interesting name for an interesting person, right Luca," said Princess Rinoa, the princess with brown hair.

"He does give off an air of mystery, sort of like Alvis does..." The trio of princesses began to bombard me with questions about myself. I answered as best I could before Princess Fran seemed to remember something.

"Ah, I need to tell father that he's finally awake! I'll be right back." With that, the princess left me with Luca and Rinoa. ...Why did I suddenly get the feeling my stay here would be short lived?

* * *

><p>Chapter Four Preview:<p>

"_Well isn't this interesting?"_

"_This is a first for me too, ya know..."_

"Cherubim? Why can I see you here!"

"And I thought I had met the densest person... He takes the cake."

"Explain what you mean by many possibilities. I don't think fate works that way..."

"Y'Ar! It's Plunderin' Time!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there's the first of the three chapters for this story. It probably left a few questions, but most of those won't be answered for some time. This chapter was actually about the length I wanted it to be, a plus for me.**

**On the note of Alvis' Ninjutsu: Remember Edge from Final Fantasy IV? He's the base for the Ninjutsu Alvis uses. Ninjutsu can do things regular Black and White Magic can't, such as passing through Reflect, Barrier or Wall and defy the conventional tiers of spells(first tier, -(a)ra, -(a)ga, -(a)ja, -(a)za) to an extent, though said defiance often costs more than a spell of the the same tier(i.e. Alvis' Ikazuchi, the combination of seven Blitz and one Gale he used in this chapter, would cost approximately 40 MP going by FFI's standards, while Thundaga would cost 30-35 MP by the same standards.). Obviously there will be stronger Ninjutsu than Flame, Flood, Blitz, Icicle, Terre and Gale in the future, but none of those will appear until after the Cavern of Earth.**

**Ezra's Dances also made their debut this chapter. Ezra's dance style is based off of the Samba and Fire Dance styles of dance, but she doesn't use music to dance in battle, rather she reads the pace of the battle and moves accordingly. Frost Tempo is an exception as she forces an opponent to follow her own rhythm rather than flow with them. Not all of her dances are simply for attacking, many are for support as well. Her known dances, at this point, are: Rondo of Flame, Shocking Samba, Frost Tempo, Tempting Tango, Haken Danse and Revitalizing March. Those who've played FFV should recognize Tempting Tango as one of the dances the Dancer Class in FFV uses. It and others will be worked into Ezra's dances, so expect to see a few familiar dances if you've played FFV.**

**Sabrina's magic also appeared properly in this chapter. She is moderately skilled with her magic, enough to skip incantations, at the cost of power, and fire her spells from her gun. Her spells at this point are: Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Water, Darkness* and Ruin. Her spells follow KH Logic in a sense. If she casts a spell repeatedly, she'll be able to pull of a "Combo Finisher" version of the spell for boosted damage, like she did when she used Ruination on Garland. Additionally, she, along with and competent Black Mage, can combine the power of Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Water and Darkness into one thing called an Elemental Rhapsody, which is simply a compressed version of all of the spells mixed together. **

***The skill that appeared in FFIV as Cecil's Skill. Not the DS remake version of the skill, though.**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Now, to work on the next two...**

**-Haos/Azure**


	4. The Start of an Adventure

**A/N: Alright, here is the next of three chapters. This one, unlike the last chapter or the one before that, will be more of a set up chapter rather than one for action. This chapter will reveal a little more about three of the main cast members and may hold a secret for one of the stories I have in waiting... Anyways, expect for Ikari to get into trouble, he attracts it like a magnet attracts iron. Also, Cherubim and Igari will have more prominent roles in this chapter, which may be a good thing or a bad thing for the party.**

* * *

><p><strong>Character Bios:<strong>

Rinoa Faris Cornelius- One of the eight princesses of Cornelia. She is the second princess of Cornelia and with her younger sister, Luca, can cause all sorts of mischief when left to their own devices. Unlike her sisters she is not a natural born singer, instead she was born with a great deal of magical potential, potential that remains untapped because her father forbids her from learning magic from any court magus in the kingdom. She is considered as the most desired Princess amongst royalty due to her lovely appearance and somewhat impressionable nature.

Class: Lovely Princess(Unique. Fencer/? Mage) Ability: Swordplay.

Luca Lenna Cornelius- The fifth Princess of Cornelia, born after her twin sister Garnet. Like her half-sister Serah, she is adventurous and likes to get down and dirty if the situation requires it, but has a heart in the same place as Elvis'. She comes across as wise beyond her years, but can be childish and is prone to mood swings when she is excited. When she is with Rinoa, the two can cause mischief on par with Ikari's natural talent at causing trouble.

Class: Wise(?) Princess(Unique. Scholar/Blue Mage/Geomancer.) Ability: Learn, Earth Magic(Latent), Tame(Latent).

Fran Lionhart Cornelius- The eldest princess of Cornelia. She comes across as a tempest if caught at the wrong time, but is surprisingly nice. Hasty by nature, she is often chided by her father for judging things too quickly or without enough information. She is not interested in the crown of Cornelia because she sees it as a burden and an annoyance in that order. She would rather marry someone she likes than be a princess, but her father scares off the many suitors that she and her sisters have. She is one of the three princesses that learned how to fight.

Class: Contrary Princess(Unique. Lord/Fencer). Ability: Swordplay, Command.

* * *

><p><strong>Node Four: Start of an Adventure<strong>

I would say that the current situation was comical if not for the fact that I was confused beyond my own comprehension. Alvis was laughing harder than he had been when Ikari told him about his misadventures in Pravoka. Elvis, Fran and Serah were rubbing their temples, muttering under their breath. Sabrina looked... I couldn't really tell what sort of expression she was making, but, judging from the dark look that flashed across her eyes for the briefest of instances, it was most likely murderous or very close to being murderous. I was, as I mentioned before, confused by everything I was seeing: There, in the center of the room, lied a blue haired teen fighting with two of Cornelia's princesses. The issue was the reason for the fight.

"Gimme back my clothes," shouted the teen, clawing at the princess wearing what appeared to be the attire of a nobleman. Said princess giggled and moved just out of his range, a playful smile across her face.

"But you look so pretty in that dress," the princess said teasingly, her brown curls swaying as she sidestepped another grab from the rather upset teen.

"Rinoa is correct," said the younger of the two princesses, "That dress fits you quite well, almost as if you were a lady or royalty in your previous life." Strangely enough, they were right. The blue haired teen looked like he himself was a princess in the dress, with the way it accented his form and produced curves on his figure. His dainty physique only made this worse as did the shape of his face and its features, especially the way his hair fell and curled to emit a pristine shine and his large emerald eyes. And then there was his voice: high, but barely not enough to be considered entirely feminine, the only denotation of his true nature. _I'm beginning to question the sanity of this kingdom's royal family. Poor boy._

"Ikari, I do apologize for my sisters' behavior," began Fran, gaining the attention of myself, Sabrina and Alvis. _Impossible! It couldn't be him! ...Yet, I feel as it can't not be him... _Was this stranger really Ikari? The eye color and hair style matched, but not the voice or the figure. The Ikari I knew at least sounded masculine... _Actually that is debatable- Never mind that!_ ...And was twig thin, without anything that looked like muscle, compared to the person in front of me with a lean, slightly muscular build. Still, part of me felt it was my childhood... friend.

"I-Ikari," I asked tentatively, only to be drowned out by Alvis' increasing mirth.

"Shut up, this isn't funny," shouted Ikari as the laughter increased in volume. He made another grab at the princess, but failed to make contact with her yet again. He scowled and grit his teeth, annoyed, as an all too familiar ball of light formed in his open right hand. _Here it comes... _I preparing to close my eyes, then cover them, expecting a bright flash and agonized shouts to fill the room within seconds.

"That wasn't very lady-like," sniped Alvis, breaking whatever ounce of self restraint Ikari had. With a snarl, Ikari hurled the ball of light at Alvis' face and, with accuracy I'd never thought he had, managed to strike the center of his forehead. Before the mercenary could voice the slightest bit of confusion, the ball exploded into a brilliant array of light. The shrieks of pain following the flash had unfortunately become rather common to me: Ikari did this rather often when angry or cornered, often with no forewarning. Needless to say, it was never good to be the one to who put Ikari in either of those situations, especially if one wanted to keep their sight.

"That hurt, you brat," growled Alvis, his eyes sealed shut from the light he, the princesses and the king had been subjected to. He brought a hand to his mouth and inhaled deeply, embers gathering around his fingers as he readied Flame. Sabrina, seeing this, splayed a single hand in Alvis' direction, electricity crackling between her outstretched fingers. Her eyes were grim and pointed, as if warning the mercenary that she would not allow any harm to befall Ikari without returning the favor.

Alvis remained undeterred. He took another breath and prepared to release the spell, ignoring the threat from Sabrina. Ikari, having not ignored Alvis or Sabrina, prepared his own response to the growing hostility in the air: a ball of spinning prismatic light that floated between his hands. I began to step in, but was stopped by a curt wave from Elvis, who stepped between the trio before they could attack each other.

"Please refrain from killing one another in my home," he said in what sounded like a neutral tone of voice, one that didn't seem to have an effect on the three until... I suddenly lost my balance and collapsed to the ground, swiftly followed by everyone in the room, save the king. He sighed tiredly, bringing a hand to his chest, before sitting on the large bed situated in the center of the room. "I forgot how much energy that took to use. Are you now calm?"

"Elvis, what in the world was that," questioned Alvis as he struggled to pick himself up off of the floor and failed to do so for several moments. The same applied to myself and the others in the room.

"Something that I prefer not to need to use on others," replied the king as he massaged the area around his heart. Whatever he had just done seemed to have a rather adverse effect on his body, one that he either did not want other to know about or played off as the side effect of something else if he used whatever skill he just had often. I had the urge to mention this, but refrained from doing so when I met the king's gaze. "I rarely use this 'gift' of mine because I prefer my subjects to not suddenly drop to the floor when I ask them to calm themselves or stop fighting. For that reason I only use it in situations that reach this" He gestures to to the room's occupants. "level or beyond."

"Your Majesty, that's all fine and well, but your daughter has my clothes," Ikari said after a moment, "I'd very much like them back... Which is probably the reason we're currently in this predicament."

"Indeed, that _and_ your rather short temper in regard to provocation," answered Elvis, fixing the squire in a sharp gaze. "Tell me Ikari, what would you have done had I not been here to stop things from getting out of hand... Further out of hand?"

"I would've..." Ikari stopped in mid-sentence as something dawned on him. Suddenly he grew red in the face and looked down. "...Something without thinking. Something that would probably have gotten me killed eightfold... I'm sorry." Elvis nodded before addressing his daughter, the one not wearing a dress.

"Rinoa, would you please return Ikari's clothing in the morning," he commanded more so than asked. The princess nodded glumly, then rose into a sitting position. Elvis then turned his attention to the younger princess, much to her dismay. "Luca, while I can understand you wanted to have some fun, you cannot do so at the expense of others. This applies to even the most innocent of jests because you can never determine how another will react, at any given moment, to even the slightest of provocations. Is that understood?"

"But, father-"

"Luca, you must understand that all actions, regardless of the intentions behind them, are of consequence. Something as small and harmless as a drifting blade of grass can be the difference between keeping balance and descending into chaos. Every action will have an effect on one scale or another, which is why people in our position must always remain diligent and mindful of what may result from what we say or do. Do you understand that?" The expression on Elvis' face was not one of anger nor was it of disappointment. If anything, the king was trying to teach his daughter a lesson that he had been forced to learn on his own. I felt some sort of understanding form within me: Elvis, either because of what he had seen or experienced, did not want his daughters to have to go through what he went through, though the what and why eluded me. _Maybe Alvis knows. Afterall, he and the king are great friends. _I cleared my mind, a moment too late to hear Luca's response to her father, though Elvis seems pleased with her answer. The younger princess exits the room, followed Serah and Fran, leaving the king and us alone. Silence overtook the room. Everyone looked around before Alvis spoke.

"So, Elvis anything you need done before the bridge is restored? I'm up to doing a few odd jobs around the kingdom before we set out, though I don't know about the others..."

"I could help out if I'm needed," chimed in Ikari, "Though I would need different attire." I suppressed the image of Ikari aiding citizens while wearing a dress similar to that of a nun, but fail to stifle a slight giggle. Ikari trained his irate gaze on me and I gestured for peace before he went off again.

"... g... ...ri ...s," mumbled Sabrina, back to her silent persona. Ikari evidently understood her judging by his slight nod in her direction. I was also willing to help as well, but one question came to mind before I voiced my own willingness.

"Is there actually anything to be done," I asked, "Willingness is naught if there is nothing to be done."

"Indeed," responded Elvis, "Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done at this moment. Maybe tomorrow there will be somethings to be done... Ah, Alvis I have a private matter to address with you. Meet me in our usual meeting spot." Judging by Elvis' tone, it would be unwise for Alvis to not heed the king.

"W-will do," cringed Alvis, as if he expected something bad would happen to him soon.

"Good," said the king before addressing Sabrina and me, "Visit the royal baths, you should take some time to relax before you retire for the night. I'm sure you've had a long day and are tired from it." As if a spell was broken, my own exhaustion caught up to me. I felt the weariness of the past few weeks flow into my bones as I nodded. Elvis kindly directed us to the baths before disappearing in a series of turns in the opposite direction, no doubt to meet with Alvis. I quickly undressed myself, paying no attention to the strange, silent girl in my company, and stepped into the steaming water. Immediately I felt myself relax and whatever stress I had fade away as I rested in the water, my thoughts drifting to memories pleasant and bitter...

* * *

><p>I made sure there was some sort of median between myself and the one known as Ezra before I removed my cloak and set myself into water. I sighed at the events of the past few days, mainly at Ikari's sacrifice(Though I was happy that he survived his encounter with the Stratoavis). I had taken a liking to the Paladin in training, he was sweet, even if naive and oblivious for the most part. <em>He's considerate, self-sacrificing, courageous, not bad to look at... <em>I shook my head vigorously, splashing water around as I tried to remove the blush that glowed on my tainted flesh.

_**It's no use, you're rather smitten with him. Not a bad pick either, I wouldn't mind taking a bite out of him myself.**_

"Be quiet," I growled at the voice of the being that I share my body with, "Kai's not someone I'll let _you_ touch, let alone speak with!"

_**Aw, don't be so defensive, kiddo. We're stuck together until... practically forever, so we should try to get along. Plus, we even share some of the same interests in people of the opposite sex.**_

"Be quiet," I hissed, louder. _She's _not someone I needed to talk to, lest she try to corrupt me further than she had by being a part of me. "The only reason we're in this situation is because you-"

_**Because I decided to have fun in your world on 'that' day, regardless of the consequences. Not my fault they stuck me in you, Sabs. The way I see it, I'm rather lucky: The moment you lose control, I'll be able to have some more 'fun,' as much as I want. **_

"I won't let that happen," I snarled, "Even if I have to put an end to myself to prevent you from touching another innocent head." I felt the water chill greatly as a sinister presence made itself apparent. Invisible needles of ice dug into my skin and tightened around my heart and neck enough to where I couldn't scream even if I had it in me to do so. _I guess I made her angry._

_**Listen here foolish girl, no one in this world is innocent. From birth, humans and the like are tainted and exposed to temptation. If I had my way, none of your kind would exist any longer than the time to reproduce like the animals you are! Do NOT make a mockery of me because of our- my- predicament and do not forget who I am!**_

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," I wheezed, "You'd just pound it back into my skull literally... A-." The needles dug deeper the instant I began to say her name and this time I did scream. It felt as if my heart had been pierced from every possible direction and every possible angle. My blood felt like it had become a frozen sludge, tearing apart my veins and shredding through my nerves as the seconds passed. Seconds that felt like hours. Days. My existence was one defined by frozen agony that, despite the fact that I knew the pain wasn't truly there, intensified with each passing moment. Suddenly, I heard splashing and the pain receded, leaving me a reeling from the lack of sensation. Too late, I attempted to hide my face only to meet the eyes of Ezra, who stood as rigid as a statue upon seeing me in my full, tainted glory.

"Sabrina, are you alright?! I heard screa...ming," she paused as if trying to understand what she was seeing. I sighed, realizing I couldn't simply talk my way out of the situation nor pretend that her eyes were deceiving her. _I should resign myself to my fate, this was bound to happen sooner or later._

"S-sabrina? Are you... What happened to you?" I felt the tug of a rueful smile on my lips as I held Ezra's gaze.

"I wonder...," I said, smiling bitterly as I gauged the older woman's reaction, "Would you care to hear a story?"

* * *

><p>Elvis wasn't pleased, I knew that much without meeting the king's gaze. Whatever I'd done to get him angry, I hoped it wasn't anything too terrible. Neither of us said anything for a long while, until my patience finally ran thin and I chose to speak.<p>

"Was there something you needed?"

"Alvis, why did you not fully prepare yourself before leaving the kingdom?" That caught me off guard. I expected something entirely different so I did what I did best: took the situation lightly.

"I didn't really need it as you can well see," I smirked, gesturing at myself with flourish, then wincing from the sting of my arm injury. "I saved Serah and didn't get too banged up in the process, so what's the issue?" Apparently my nonchalance had not been a good idea.

"'What's the issue,' you ask," Elvis asked, chuckling in a semi-mocking fashion before glaring at me with enough anger to get me to take a step away from him. "The fact that you could've died, first off. Do you really think that just because I wanted my daughter liberated from that traitor, that I would want you to recklessly endanger yourself to do so? When I sent you out, I thought that you went fully prepared." He paused before emphasizing his next point. "With _all _of your equipment."

"I got the job done," I began, but hastily sealed my mouth when Elvis' glare intensified.

"Alvis, do you remember the dragon we fought," he asked suddenly.

"The one we defeated as a duo? Yes, we had quite a bit of trouble with it before we finally wore it down," I said, looking back on the memory somewhat fondly. The dragon itself had been terrifying to look at and had been a nightmare to fight. If given the opportunity, I wouldn't fight another one unless absolutely necessary.

"Do you remember the soldiers who perished facing the beast before us? The men and women father had come with you when he sent you after me when I decided that I'd had enough of life as a prince?" That jarred me out of my own retelling of the events. I hadn't forgotten the deaths of the people who had given their lives to protect me and Elvis when the dragon attacked us on that fateful day. When we had finally returned to the kingdom, I drank until my sorrow and foolishness were distant memories. But I could never fully forget. Especially not the last moment I spent with my mentor before she too perished.

Without realizing it, I'd begun to cry. It wasn't racking sobs or anything similar, just silent tears that had been suppressed for over a decade. I took a moment to regain my composure before nodding at the king.

"Alvis, as your friend, I don't want you or those children to meet a similar fate, so please take care of yourself and don't set yourself up for failure in your endeavors by not preparing for the worst at the start," sighed Elvis, "If we lose you, the kingdom will suffer and not simply because it will lose one of its greatest assets. For some reason, many people admire you and see you as a hero of sorts." There was a bit of humor in his tone, but his eyes remained serious.

"If you put it like that, I can't just run around angering every monster that moves," I joked weakly, "Truthfully, I planned on bringing all of my equipment, but a lot of it was damaged pretty badly before you had me quell the pirates. Sure, I have a secondary set, but it's not nearly as adjusted to me as the set I primarily use is." Elvis nods.

"Indeed, which is why I had it sent to the armory as soon as learned what condition it was in."

"I see." With that, the tension drained from the air and silence took its place once again. "I guess I'll be going then." Elvis nods absently, his mind focused on whatever scenarios and solutions he was going over. I couldn't do that, which is why I never considered myself as king material, even on the days we joked about making me king for a single day or for an hour. _I'm too short sighted to even dream of ruling over people, let alone try my hand at it. _With that thought, I head to my "official" room in the palace, a room I hadn't slept in in nearly ten years.

* * *

><p>I sat in the guest room boredly. I was still stuck in the dress and had no idea where anything but the baths was, so I was sure to get lost if I ventured out of the room at night. I sigh and lean back on the bed, propping my legs on the footboard as I tried to relax and think of what I could do to keep myself entertained until I drifted back to sleep.<p>

"Let's see... I've already bathed, eaten, prayed to Lady Minerva and Lady Cosmos, meditated and reflected on what a day today has been and practiced Conversion while attempting to sustain Aura Armor," noted aloud, then sighed again. I had no idea for anything I could do and I wasn't very tired.

"That sounds like an issue you'll have to fix on your own," said a voice I hadn't expected to hear.

"Cherubim," I exclaimed, confused further because I could hear the goddess and _see _her floating beside me with an equally bored frown on her face. "Why can I see you here?" The childlike goddess shrugs, then gives me a look that says that the answer should be obvious.

"I don't know, maybe because you have a pair of sensory organs known as eyes which allow you to do more than grope around in the dark. You, however seem to lack properly functioning ears as I recall telling you that I would be following you out of your unconscious mind," she sneered, "I'm visible to you because I wasn't just some figment of your overactive imagination and I chose to make myself visible to you. I could just as easily cloak myself." As if emphasizing her point, Cherubim blinked from existence then reappeared a short moment later.

"I see... Still, why are you here? Can't you go do godly things?"

"Ha, if I was allowed to, I wouldn't be here right now, making sure you didn't die from tripping over small rocks." _That was rather pointed... I'm not _that _fragile._

"_She doesn't mean physically."_

"Gah! Blue Guy- Er, Igari," I shouted, surprised by the other voice, "I wasn't expecting to hear you as well, even if you're an inner voice."

"_Kid, I'm as much a part of you as the goddess is." _

"Oh... So what are you then?"

" _mind your own business, child." Ouch, that was harsh as well._

"Trust us, with what's coming up in the near future, we can't afford to be entirely lenient to you, Ikari," explained Cherubim, implying that they _had_ been lenient on me, "In fact, you really should be catching up on your practice."

"_What the goddess says. You have a rather peculiar fate, so we should be preparing you to face the coming trials." _Huh, didn't expect that. I guess this whole Crystal Bearer status won't make life any easier.

"True, it means you were basically designated for a life of hardship, strife and turmoil the moment you were chosen," answered the goddess, her annoyed look changing to one of pity. "I won't lie, not even the most depraved and damned envy people chosen to bear the crystals because of all of the hell it brings. This are going to get worse, but gradually so. That's how fate works for the chosen."

"Will there ever be times when things get better? There has to be some sort of balance, right," I asked, unsure of how I felt about the goddess' words.

"Depends on who you ask," shrugged Cherubim, uninterested, "Many of the gods believe that life is perpetual downwards spiral with a few bumps to make things interesting." _T-that was pessimism on a whole other level._

"_Cherubim does not mention that everyone, including you, has thousands of possible lives branching from the origin of that life and a great deal more possible endings."_

"That makes no sense, could you explain that again," I responded after trying to visualize what Igari meant. "I don't think fate works that way..."

"_Fate is unpredictable for the most part, so expect any possible outcome you discover. It is better to be prepared to face a monster and not encounter it, than to think that you will not and end up torn to shreds because you weren't prepared." _Ah, that made much more sense. I stretched, suddenly tired from the conversation with Igari and Cherubim.

"We'll continue your training once you fall asleep," stated the small goddess before blinking out of existence. I laid back and closed my eyes, stifling a yawn before I drifted off into the battleground within my sleep.

...

...

I wake up bone tired and sore all. Igari and Cherubim didn't let up during the training session and I was hardly allowed time to catch my breath, let alone rest. Apparently the duo had been very lenient on me previously because this time, by the time I woke up, I had been covered head to toe in bruises, cuts and burns from Igari's "lenient" onslaught alone. Cherubim, who I decided to refer to as Cherim, took things to another level, literally. By the time she had finished with me, I learned the hard way that all of her spells, which weren't limited to one type of Magic, packed a serious punch after I tried to block a simple Dia and ended up nearly charbroiled alive. Things only got worse when Igari and Cherim began training me at the **same **time, resulting in the second worst pain I had ever felt. Only the Stratoavis outdid them in the sheer amount of pain dealt. The one good things to come out of the hell I had gone through in my sleep were that I had begun to shape up as a fighter in terms of form and that I learned Aero, a spell that was categorized as both black and white magic and was quickly proving to be a favorite of mine, and a few tricks.

I rolled out of the bed I was borrowing and walked to the royal baths. Seeing no one else, only a bundle of clothes resembling what I had woken up in yesterday, I quickly cleaned myself in the soothing water, using Aero to dry myself before I put on the clothes that had been left near the oversized tub.

"They are mine," I said after putting on the garments. "The princess made good on her promise." I walked out of the baths and surveyed the castle before wandering around aimlessly. Aimlessly wandering appeared to be the best way to describe what I did as I walked around the castle, often in circles, to get a grasp of where I was. Eventually, I had a fair understanding of where I was and where to go in order to get to other parts of the castle, before I heard it.

The sound of swords striking one another came from the castle courtyard. I quickened my pace, making a beeline towards the courtyard, when I remembered something vital.

"Where are Light Seeker and Minerva's Defender," I exclaim, running back to the guest room only to find that neither are there. I start to panic when Cherubim cuts into my thoughts.

"Oi, idiot," she droned, sounding very tired and more irritated than usual, "Touch the bracelet." _Bracelet? What bracelet?_ I look down and see a simple gold band hanging from my arm. _When the heck did I get this trinket? Oh well. _I touched the band and, after being hit by blinding light, found myself clad in the Rustic Set with Light Seeker dangling from my waist and Minerva's Defender strapped to my left arm. _The was actually cool. Alright, let's go!_

I rush into the courtyard and see Fran, Rinoa and a princess I recognize from yesterday fighting an armored figure with a tattered cloak. The armored figure seemed to be having no trouble pushing back the three princesses, even with their remarkable teamwork, and was quite nimble despite the size of their weapon and how heavy their armor appeared to be. _I can't let some stranger harm the princesses! _Sprinting, I manage to partially scale the wall connecting to the courtyard before I launch myself at the mysterious figure with the aid of an Aero, sword ready.

The figure is in the middle of a counter when I collide with him, catching him off guard. I quickly spun into a back kick, catching the person in the chest, before bashing him with my shield to topple him. The figure backflips away from me nimbly, then rushes me, reversing his grip on his large sword-like weapon as he does so. I dodge to the side, then swipe at him with Light Seeker only to have to roll out of the path of swift but heavy slash from the figure. Barely a moment later, I found myself having been tripped and see the pommel to the giant sword rushing towards me. I cast Aero almost instantly, barely avoiding a blow that crushes the ground where I had been a moment before. Flipping back to an upright position, I charge towards the warrior, having focused enough to dodge another deceptively fast slash from him and counter with a point blank Spark to his torso. The impact of the swirling light threw him backwards long enough for me to imbue my sword with another Spark, activating Light Blade, and slash him six times across the chest with the enchanted blade. On the seventh slash, the figure managed to block the blow and repel me in a fluid motion before igniting his own blade and swinging it with enough force to blow me further away.

Again I land on my feet, this time activating Aura Armor. A familiar silver aura enveloped me as I propelled myself towards armor clad man with an Aero. The figure avoided my attack, only to be caught by an Aero I cast the moment I passed him. Skidding to a halt, I dashed towards the warrior and traded blows with him, repelling each of his strikes with the aid of Aura Armor until I fully concentrate on his attacks. I sway out of the way of the next slash and counter with my own before ducking under a punch and weaving out of the way of a crushing slash. I retaliate faster with two more slashes of my own, then readied my shield when he prepared a stronger blow.

Focusing Aura Armor into Minerva's Defender, I block the coming slash, one strong enugh to make my knees buckle, and repel the blade with enough force to knock it out of the figure's hand. Without skipping a beat, I launch myself into the warrior's torso, shield first, blasting him away when the shield makes contact with him. I pursue the airborne warrior, readying my ultimate technique.

"Take this," I roared, Light Seeker burning brightly with light, "Shining Spiraling Edge!" I jump into a spin, then thrust the shining blade at the warrior. He managed to skillfully avoid taking a direct hit from the sword, but wasn't prepared for the swirling storm of light that detonated from the tip of the blade, engulfing him and ripping away the helmet that hides his face as he was flung around like a boat by a storm at sea. Having not noticed this, I prepared to deliver an incapacitating strike when Fran and the unknown princess grab my arms.

"Stop hurting Uncle Alvis," shouted the princess I didn't know.

"Alvis?" The moment the question left my mouth, a fist connected with my jaw, making my vision swim.

"The hell was that for," growled the knight, fuming, "One second I'm sparring with those three, the next you're attacking me like some sort of possessed mad man!" Oh... That explains it.

"Sorry," I winced before explaining why I attacked the knight. Oddly enough, the knight got a laugh out of my story.

"Heh, don't worry about it," he chuckled, ruffling my hair. _Funny, I don't remember my hair being blue...!_

"Hey Alvis, is my hair blue," I asked. The knight looked at me as if I had said the most idiotic thing in the world.

"Yeah, it's been that way since yesterday. Wait, don't tell me you're just now noticing this." When I didn't give an answer, the knight only shook his head. "It's probably a side effect of whatever the giant bird did to you. Now that I think about it, it's not as dark as it was yesterday, so I'm assuming it's a temporary thing." The knight shrugged before walking back into the castle with Fran, leaving me with Rinoa and the other princess.

"I- I didn't realize that you were that strong Mr. Ikari," stuttered Rinoa.

"He got lucky, Rin," spat the other princess, "Had Uncle Alvis been at his best, he would've trounced the twig." A decent amount of me believed that, had Alvis used magic I wouldn't have stood a chance...

"_That's untrue, last time he caught you off guard, which is why you lost. This time you caught him off guard and defeated him. I'm willing to bet that while he has more experience, you have more discipline and raw talent. I'd say you're evenly matched." _I shrug off Igari's comment in time to hear Rinoa defend me.

"I disagree, Serah," said Rinoa, standing firm, "While Alvis is one of the strongest people I've met, he cannot handle an opponent who gives him no leeway, especially so when he tries to use most of his stronger techniques."

"Ha! Ikari had to dodge uncle's strikes in order to have a chance in the first place," stated Serah, "He may have been able to pressure uncle a few times, but he couldn't handle a single blow from him!"

"Actually, I blocked a few of his attacks," I say, interrupting the argument. "They were rather heavy, but they weren't entirely impossible for me to defend against." The look of irritation that flashed across Serah's face was amusing, but I kept that to myself as I made my way into town to kill time. _Seems like someone is very defensive about their idol._

* * *

><p>After Ezra learned my secret and had sworn to keep it, I avoided contact with everyone I could during our stay in Cornelia. Occasionally someone would check on me or bring food by, but I was mostly left to my own devices. On several occasions, Ezra stopped by to check and see if I was in control. They were meaningless visits. At some point Ikari came by while my cloak was removed, so I rushed to hide my face and my exposed shoulders. Confused, he tried to make conversation, but the moment I tried to speak with him <em>she <em>decided to fill my head with images of her delusional view of the inexperienced paladin. Not trusting myself to not suddenly lash out, I politely declined the conversation and tried to sleep, thankful that Ikari easily believed others.

Sleep was my only respite from my problems, my only safe haven. In my dreams, I was free from stress, free from persecution and, most of all, free from _her_ influence. No one could get to me there. Nothing could stop me from living the way I wanted to: Peacefully and without the scorn of others. Yet a dream is only a dream. I could never delude myself into thinking any of my dreams were feasible or within my grasp. Those hopes were denied on the day of the Darkening, when my life was torn apart because the whims of a certain goddess.

_**You're embarrassing me, Sabs. I'd blush, but that's not possible as long as you're in control.**_

"Stop mocking me," I hissed, "Can't you let me be for a single moment?"

_**That would be too easy. Beside, you'll soon realize that I'm the only person you can trust.**_

"I doubt that," I scoffed, only to feel a sharp pain in my head.

_**Hey, don't be rude! I'm trying to get on your good side, you know. We are together forever after all. **_I growled at the last remark, one that was unfortunately true.

_If only someone could save me from this twisted, tainted life..._

* * *

><p>In the blink of an eye five days passed, at least to me. After the sparring incident, I busied myself doing odd jobs around Cornelia to make a small bit of coin, only returning to the castle when the sun began to darken. About two days into my work, Alvis decided to join me and help out. It turned out that he was the second most popular person, just behind the king, in all of Cornelia because of his reputation as a hero and his actions. Strangely however, there were the occasional whispers of a young foreigner who defeated Alvis. Everyone's description of the foreigner differed, ranging from broad and surly to somewhat effeminate and thin to handsome and tall. It took me awhile to realize that they were talking about me, but by then Alvis had already heard the rumors and had a laughing fit. When I told him it was sheer luck, he refuted me and said that it had been skill and wouldn't take anything less than that.<p>

Finally, the day came when the king called us, the four of us, to the throne room to make an announcement. When we gathered there, he announced the completion of the restoration of the bridge that linked Cornelia and Pravoka. He also had a package waiting for each of us.  
>"These are gifts," said Elvis, "I hope that they are useful to you on your journey." I didn't waste time tearing mine open. Inside was a folded, metal recurve bow, a quiver containing thirty arrows with golden fletching, some sort of leather forearm protector, a silver dagger and...<p>

"No," I said, shaking my head in denial, "you're kidding me, right? Right?" The last item in the package was a blue and dress and not a simple one, mind you. No, the dress had frills, a ribbon tied around the waist, a petticoat, folds and... An armlet with matching gauntlets? I looked up at the king and saw the amusement in his eyes. I got the feeling I wouldn't be able to simply decline the dress without some major repercussions. _Why, just why?_

"My daughters thought it would be a nice parting gift," clarified Elvis, smiling broadly, "I had some modifications made so that it could be used in combat if needed." Alvis snickered and I shot him a pointed glare before thanking the king, albeit in a strained tone. I decided it wouldn't be bad to see what the others received.

Sabrina received a short staff with an emerald embedded in it, a complex looking pistol with a long barrel, a pair of fingerless gloves that extended well beyond the average person's elbows and crackled with Mana, shin guards and black set of clothes that matched the gloves and shin protectors. It was hard to visibly gauge her reaction, but the almost unheard words of thanks denoted her true feelings. Ezra received a pair of silver and black shortswords, a small worn tome, a golden ring that bled Mana, a singular red glove similar to the ones Sabrina received and yet another red dress. Her feelings looked mixed, but she thanked the king anyways. It was Alvis who got a more intricate gift.

Alvis receive a new coat with three tails instead of two and a hood, a broadsword that was easily his size and was covered in symbols inlaid with gold, a second gauntlet that seemed identical to the one he already wore, an odd metal plate, a strange set of dagger-like knives, a set of four-sided shuriken, a katana, a new pair of greaves, a small bag filled with highly volatile Mana and the eye protector of a knight's helmet.

"Whoa Elvis, I think you over did things just a little," he said, chuckling nervously as he attached the metal plate to his older gauntlet and connected the eye protector piece to his new coat's hood. "When you said you sent my equipment off to get repaired, I didn't expect to get it AND additional tools."

"Blame Serah," replied the king, "She was the one who insisted that I get you and Ikari the additional weaponry." Our gaze turned to the sharp tongued princess, who looked down.

"You two looked like you'd complement each other in a battle," she muttered before glaring at me, "You'd better not get yourself or uncle killed!" Was that concern I heard? Surely not.

"No promises made, but I'll try," I responded, "At the very least, we'll all go down fighting."

"What he said," Alvise laughed, "This kid is a lot tougher than he looks. A lot stronger too."

"Indeed, I saw your battle," said Elvis, "I have no doubt that the four of you together are a force to be reckoned with, just be careful on your journey to... Where exactly are you going?"

"Back to Pravoka," I answered swiftly, "We need to collect provisions and, no offense meant, Cornelia is lacking some of the crucial items." The king nodded, understanding.

"I see, in that case we shall prepare a some provisions for your short trip," said Elvis, making a swift gesture, "In the mean time, why not change into the new clothes you were given?" The others nodded and went to do so, but I stay. Elvis gave me a peculiar look, as if expecting me to say something. When I said nothing, he asked a question.

"Ikari, are you dissatisfied with your new attire?"

"Your Majesty, I will not wear a dress into battle, I already have an heirloom from my father to wear."

"Ah? The armor that Hikari used to wear?" That froze me in place. _How?_

"How do you know my father," I asked somewhat defensively.

"Your father, the Paladin Highlord of Ruin, used to travel to and from Cornelia," responded Elvis, "If I'm remembering correctly, he used to bring a young boy and a slightly older girl with him, though that was at least twelve years ago." _What? Father used to make visits to Cornelia with me and Yami? He must've had some reason._

"Do you know why by any chance?"  
>"The very first time your father visited was to help quell a rebellion," answered Elvis after some time, "He succeeded in doing so alone. The second time he visited was shortly after my father passed away, this time he brought the children I mentioned. At the time, I was still grieving and was unfit to care for Rinoa, Fran and Serah. He watched over them in my stead with Alvis and Jayne. Also, if my memory isn't failing me, I recall Serah having the cutest crush on the little boy, though now I wonder..." <em>You sneaky devil, you...<em> Serah, turned beet red when I looked up at her. Still, I had no recollection of that ever happening. Then again, my memory before 'that' day was extremely shoddy and filled with gaps.

"That's... r-rather interesting," I managed to say, "Though I can't really remember much before..." I trailed off because I knew the king understood which day I meant.

"I see, that must have been very traumatizing for you," He said, his eyes too bright for the pleasant smile on his face. "Many of us lost loved ones on that terrible day, many more lost things more precious than that." The king wiped his eyes, acting as if he was tired from a long day, but I noticed the slight trickle from his eyes. It took me a second to put two and two together. There was an empty throne beside Elvis' and none of the princesses would glance at the chair for more than an instant. That must've been the seat the queen used to sit in, which meant...

"My condolences, Your Highness," I blurted out before I could stop myself. The atmosphere immediately became heavy just as the provisions the king had promise arrived. Shortly after this, the others arrived, fully dressed in their new attire. I shifted my attention away from the king and onto my companions. It took every ounce of control I had not to gape at them.

Ezra's new dress wasn't as form fitting as the previous one. Instead, it was simpler in basic design and was cut shorter to increase her mobility, though it did expose more of her legs. The dress appeared to flow down her body, not clinging or tightening to any part of her body, save her shoulders where the straps hung. As with the previous dress, one side of the dress was slit, though this dress covered the area with a layer of frilly cloth that appeared to reach the other side of the dress from behind and was connected by a pair of golden rings that hung on either side of Ezra's waist. Adorning the dancer's left arm was the glove, actually fuschia in coloration, that extended to just below her shoulder and the golden ring. Strapped across her waist were the two short swords that she had received, though I didn't fail to notice the dagger strapped to her leg. Ezra's nearly translucent white hair fell in curly tresses around her pale face, while her frosty blue eyes shined brightly.

Alvis looked roughly the same, having simply changed coas and put on most of the equipment the king had given him. On both of his arms were gauntlets that appeared to have some sort of complex mechanism operated by gears and some unseen switch or spring. Slung across his side was the katana and across his back were TWO gigantic swords: The first was the black broadsword with the gold carved into, while the second was the sword he had been using when he was sparring with the princesses, albeit polished. Somewhere inside his coat rested his various throwing weapons and the volatile feeling pouch. Alvis' wild hair had been pushed way from his face, revealing the the puckered flesh around what could only be a recent scar because one could nearly see the blood coursing through it. _Note to self: Other to heal Alvis' scar at some point._

Sabrina looked the most surprising out of the trio, in fact she was the one who held the majority of my attention. One reason was because her new attire accented her rather mysterious personality, being so dark that it seemed to draw in light. The other reason was because her hood was gone and, judging by the sheer amount of killing intent in her glare aimed at Alvis, it was not her doing. The first thing I noticed was that the girl was darker than I expected her to be, her skin the the color of dark honey. Her piercing rose eyes were centered perfectly on her face, as was her petite nose and small mouth. Her wavy turquoise hair framed the sides of her face and extended past her shoulders, but there was more to her face than that. In the center of Sabrina's forehead was small red gemstone that seemed to emerge from her skin as if it was a natural part of her. Surrounding the stone were black, symmetrical, wavy marks that curled under her ears and gently caressed her cheeks. The lines continued downwards and I saw a small glimpse of the marks adorning her collar and the tops of her shoulders. When Sabrina noticed my entranced gaze she turned away and tried to cover her shoulders as best she could, almost as if ashamed of her appearance. Again, it took all of my willpower to resist going up to the girl and hugging her and whispering reassurances to her, which I assumed would only worsen the her mood. Yet, I was mesmerized by the foreign, alien beauty she had. Suddenly, she was the only person I was focusing on, then the entire world had gone hazy until I found myself outside the castle, walking in line with Alvis to the edge of Cornelia.

"You alright there Ikari," asked the knight, a small amount of concern and a large amount of amusement present in his voice, "You were in some sort of trance the moment you saw Sabrina..." He didn't finish the sentence, though I could guess what he was implying. If he expected to get some sort of rise from me, he was disappointed when I put up a mask of impassive stoicism to hide my confusion.

"I was simply surprised," I stated matter-of-factly, "I'd never encountered anyone like Sabrina before." As the name left my mouth, I spared a glance at the now cloaked young lady. Her steps lacked purpose and had become timid. Ezra tried to cheer up the girl, but she appeared to be failing miserably. I gnawed on my lip, trying not to get involved unless I really needed to, but eventually the Paladin in me won out over my logic.

In an instant I was beside the two and had grasped the younger woman's hand. She gave me a quick glance before pulling away from me and muttering something only I could hear.

"Please stay away, I'm too hideous to be in your presence. Too tainted to be worth your attention..." Those words tore at my heart. I wanted to refute her, to tell her that she wasn't some hideous creature like she saw her, but I knew she wouldn't believe me. I knew my words would only lead to more pain. So, I dropped the subject without a word and strode past Alvis.

The next few days were dead. None of us spoke to one another more than we needed to and everything, but Goblins left us alone as we made our way to and past the reconstructed bridge. The Goblins weren't an issue, a simple attack in their general direction would drive of the pesky imps for a good couple of hours. Occasionally they would leave behind a potion or some half eaten food as they fled, but other than them, there was no excitement on our trek to Pravoka until.

"Ikari, do you smell that," asked Alvis, his tone entirely serious and his brow furrowed. Shaking my head, I sniffed the air and smelled smoke it the distance. _That's odd, we're less than an hour's travel from Pravoka by foot and yet someone is setting up a fire... Oh gods no! _The moment I put two and two together, I realized no one in their right mind would set up camp during this time of day which could only mean...

"Everyone, pick up your pace," I shouted, already sprinting, "We have a situation on our hands!" I didn't wait to see if the others were matching my pace, I needed to get to Pravoka as soon as I could! By the time I had arrived, my suspicions had been confirmed: Pravoka was ablaze and the ones responsible were...

"Y'Ar! It be plunderin' time, boys!" Pirates. Bloody damned hell.

* * *

><p>Chapter Five Preview:<p>

"_Now we're __**really**_ _ticked off!"_

"_Ikari, I'm sure I taught you better than that. Try not to fall behind."_

"_Archery? Of course I can teach you!"_

"_His weakness isn't how reckless and hasty he is, it's how much he doubts himself when he thinks an opponent is stronger than he."_

"_Sacred Paladin Arte: Celestial Blade!"_

"_Ohohohoho!"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally got this chapter completed after far longer than I wanted to be done. Part of my late update is because of the insanity that is my school schedule this year(Five AP Courses, technically six, two of which are actually full on college courses.), but I won't make excuses. Truth be told, I'm happy and unhappy with this chapter, but I know that I definitely tried to make this one good. If that comes across then it's good, if not, I still have my post submission round of updates to do, so I'll improve what I can.**

**A major thank you goes to The Unknowing Herald for his last review, which may have averted an early train wreck in this story and taught me a couple of things as well. A big thanks goes to Lucenthia as well for being supportive and sticking with this story so far, If you're interested in long stories that build layer upon layer of detail as the story progresses, I highly recommend them both.**

**So in this chapter, you'll notice that Ikari learned the spell Aero. Aero is a special spell, much like Ultima, which has been categorized as both Black and White Magic in the FF series, hence both White and Black Mages being able to learn it. There are differences between the versions of the spell however. A Black Mage's version of Aero is a spinning, pressurized ball of air that explodes on impact with a target, however if something is launched into it, the ball will rapidly lose speed and size until finally vanishing altogether. The White Mage version is more akin to a small twister that can be directed. It can be used to increase speed, jumping height repel object and even bring them towards the caster.**

**This chapter also shows how Ikari fights humanoid enemies. How do you feel about his fighting style or lack thereof? Do you think as his spell repertoire increases, he will improve or do you think that as he learns and hones techniques he will improve overall?**

**This Chapter introduces Sabrina's point of view... I won't explain anything about it, I'll just let your imaginations work for this one.  
>Oh right, the Lute WAS acquired, but Ikari was mentally distracted for a good portion of dialogue so he missed that and a few other things of lesser importance.<strong>

**Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter, until next time,**

**-Haos**


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